


Shed a Light

by FearlessinBlue



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2003), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2012), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Aged-Up Character(s), Dealing with the trauma of being child vigilantes, F/M, Healing, Human AU, Single Dad Leo, Splinter Is Dead, Yoshi is alive, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-19
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2020-05-14 15:23:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 33,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19276045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FearlessinBlue/pseuds/FearlessinBlue
Summary: Years after their adoptive father has died and their team has broken apart to live separate lives, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael are drawn back together by two little surprises. In order to protect these two innocents, they must relearn what it is to be a family and how to forgive each other and their past. Only together can they find a future.





	1. Children of Shadows

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Blood in my Veins](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15735270) by [EchoKazul](https://archiveofourown.org/users/EchoKazul/pseuds/EchoKazul). 



The peaceful silence of night covered the rolling hills of the Japanese countryside like a warm blanket. Nestled up to one of these hills was a small estate, deceivingly peaceful in design but, to the trained eye, shrouded in an entirely different type of darkness. The high walls surrounding the compound were littered with armed sentries, just visible enough that a passerby wouldn’t linger. The men patrolling the estate were dressed in a modern ninja uniform, a bright red Foot emblem emblazoned on their chest like a brand. They were armed to the teeth and essentially faceless with their hoods. Despite the peace of the night, these menacing sentries stared into the inky darkness as if it held the most dangerous of enemies. What they did not know though, was that on this night the watchers were being watched, and real danger lay in wait among the trees.

 

Hamato Leonardo took a deep, cleansing breath as his electric blue eyes surveyed the fortified walls of the compound in front of him and his ninja squad. When they had received reports of a fortified Foot facility in the countryside, Leo had been expecting some kind of hidden weapons factory or work camp, but this 'facility' looked like a simple guarded residence. Leo narrowed his eyes suspiciously and decided to proceed with caution, signaling silently to his ninjas to clear the outer guards so that he could explore the inside. Immediately, his squad disappeared into the shadows of the tree and began surrounding the compound. Leo watched as his shadows swarmed the foot ninja until their posts were taken over by the Hamato clan. Leonardo ran with the speed and silence of the wind across the clearing, scaling the wall in seconds. He nodded to his ninja, signaling them to keep their posts as he vaulted into the center of the courtyard.

 

With the guards neutralized, the compound was strangely deserted despite the late hour. Leo felt the hair on the back of his neck raise up and his every screamed that danger lurked in the seemingly deserted home. His fingers twitched, itching for the familiar grip of his twin katana strapped to his back but he resisted as he cautiously made his way through the dark halls of the house. He was about ready to call for a retreat back to headquarters when he spotted the flicker of candlelight through shoji doors at the end of the main hall. He finally drew one of his swords and carefully slid back the door to reveal a near bare room except for a simple futon, a desk, and a large basket.

 

He was barely halfway into the room when something slammed into him from behind. He whipped around so that he fell on his back and his sword met his attacker's with a loud clang. His wide blue eyes met the dark depths of his attacker and he immediately recognized her. She was beautiful in a rigid, cold way, her dark gaze severe and her thin lips pulled into a sneer. Leo quickly shoved her off of him, surprised by how easily he was able to with her considerable skill. Oroku Karai glared back at him from across the room, panting with obvious effort as she crouched in a defensive stance, watching him as if waiting for his attack.

 

Without thinking he ripped off his fukumen, revealing his face to her. They stared at each other in silence, Karai watching him with suspicion and a hint of relief while Leo slowly sheathed his sword, hoping that whatever relationship they had had before her disappearance from Tokyo would keep her from attacking him again.

 

"Karai where have you-" he started, concern coloring his voice as he tried to step forward, one hand outstretched to help her to her feet. Karai cut him off by standing swiftly and pointing the tip of her blade to his neck.

 

"I have been waiting for your arrival, Leonardo. Take those... things and go. I never want to see any of you again." She hissed out at him, her eyes flashing dangerously between Leo and the basket on the table behind him. Confusion clouded Leo’s mind when he glanced back at the basket but he could already feel the walls strengthening around his heart at her words. As he looked at her now his chest gave a painful twang and what could have been if she had not been poisoned by her father. What they could have been. Up until this moment their relationship had consisted of violence, mystery, and sex all of which had given him scars. Now, he was realizing that it wasn’t a relationship at all, but rather a game she had playing with his heart, a new way of hurting him.

 

Leo stood a little straighter, his gaze going hard and his hand raising to grab his katana, resigned to what he must in order to come out of this game alive. His fingers stopped a hairsbreadth from the worn leather of his katana hilt as a sharp cry pierced the heavy silence that had festered between them. Leo's eyes widened in pure shock while Karai's rolled in frustration. Everything around him faded away and every step felt like he was wading through cement as he approached the basket and the cries that were coming from within. Suddenly he was looking down at two little babies, not more than a couple of months old, one of which was sobbing, her little fists balled up as she expressed her displeasure.

 

Almost as if separate from his mind, his hand reached into the basket to stroke the baby's velvet cheek. The sensation of his touch startled the baby and her cries quieted as she tearfully looked up at him, her dark eyes a shade lighter than Karai's and swelling with tears in a way that Karai's never had. At her sister's sudden silence, the other little girl suddenly rolled over and pinned him with an electric blue gaze that was an exact copy of his own. And then suddenly, as he stared down at the most perfect little girls he had ever seen, it hit Leo like a speeding truck. These were his daughters, his and... Karai!

 

He spun around, automatically taking a protective stance over the basket, his eyes hard as he watched Karai who was now sitting on the floor, propped up by her sword and glaring at him and the basket he was protecting. It was only now he noticed how her pale skin was marked by fatigue and how dull her fling eyes had become. She looked like she hadn’t slept in weeks and there was new hate in her that he had never seen before. This was truly their end.

 

“Take them.” She barked out, but it lacked her familiar bite, instead sounding hollow.

 

“But you’re their mother.” He blurted out, his gentle heart unable to comprehend that she couldn’t even love something so pure as her own children.

 

“By blood only.” She spat out the words as if they burned her to say them and her glare became colder and eerily reminiscent of her father.

 

“Surely you must feel something for them. Our daughters-“ he couldn’t help but appeal to the flicker of humanity he had always seen in her just one more time. It was to no avail, that part of her had been swallowed up, poisoned by Oroku Saki.

 

“The last and only kindness I will show your daughters is sending them away with you. If only to relieve me of their burden.” She pushed herself to her feet and shuffled over to the futon where she collapsed with her back to him, “Now leave Leonardo, and never return.”

 

As Leo turned away from the woman he once knew and picked up the basket that held the most precious beings in his world, he felt his heart simultaneously grow and bleed for his beautiful daughters. Their mother may not want them, but he would give them every ounce of love in his body, despite his fear and inexperience. From that moment on his world revolved around them.

 

As if finally sensing the love pouring off of their father, the babies curled up into each other and closed their eyes to their birthplace, as if knowing it was the last time they would see this hopeless place and that they would wake up in a true home, with love.

 

Leo didn’t look back as he left Karai’s room and carefully walked out of the house and the front gates of the compound. His ninjas were waiting for him in the woods, their curiosity and confusion practically rolling off of them in waves.

 

Leo stroked his daughters’ chubby cheeks one last time before covering them with the blanket and turning his gaze to his ninjas. Gone were the soft blue depths and returned was the determined gaze of a leader, of the heir to the Hamato clan.

 

“You will never speak of this night and what happened here.” He ordered in perfect Japanese. His clan members immediately stood at attention, their curiosity disappearing under their obedience to their sozokujin. With that, Leo nodded and they disappeared into the night, leaving the compound emptier than before, stripped of its only two treasures.

* * *

 

When Leo returned to the clan's Tokyo stronghold his father, Hamato Yoshi, was meditating under his favorite Japanese cherry tree, obviously waiting up for his son at such a late hour. When Leo entered his rooms his form relaxed in slight relief at the mere knowledge that his precious and only son was once again home safely. He opened his eyes and fixed Leonardo with an expectant look on his face, now waiting for the mission report after his fears had been assuaged. While Leonardo had been named the official heir to the Hamato clan and corporation, his father had yet to step down as clan leader, opting instead to slowly give Leo more power and responsibility until he could be deemed ready. As such, Leo kneeled on the ground in front of his father, the basket carefully placed on the floor in front of him, and bowed low in respect. Hamato Yoshi smiled slightly at his son’s dutiful show of respect but his pride was quickly displaced by his curiosity once he caught sight of the basket in front of his son. He nodded to Leo to raise from his bow and then turned his gaze once more to the basket. Something was telling him that what was in the basket would be just as life-changing as the moment his son had returned to him two years ago, if not more.

 

Leo slowly raised himself up from his bow and gazed fondly at the basket, then turning a nervous smile his father as he slowly drew the blanket back to reveal his slightly fussy daughters. They had somehow rolled to opposite sides of the basket and were releasing little dissatisfied snuffles as they were reluctantly pulled from their peaceful dreams in search of each others' familiar warmth. His attention immediately going to their distress, no matter how minor, Leo made a comforting shushing noise as he gently shifted their shifting forms so that they were once more curled together in contented sleep. As soon as they were once more close together their noises died down to the regular sleeping snuffles, completely at ease despite the monumental changes the night had brought.

 

Yoshi leaned forward desperately, almost crawling in his eagerness to see the children, ignoring the complete indignity of a ninja Clan Leader shuffling across the floor for mere children. However, it was clear to Hamato Yoshi that these were no mere children, they were his blood, they were pieces of his heart brought to life. Despite his strong instincts, some part of him demanded confirmation so before he could touch the perfect little beings he was half in love with already he looked up at his son with a questioning gaze. Leo, who had been seriously shocked by his father's out-of-character reaction, suddenly shook out of his reverie to nod ever so slightly, confirming the unspoken question that hung between them.

 

"Father," his voice deepened with the emotion of the moment, Leo fought against the lump in his throat to conduct proper introductions, "Meet my daughters."

 

"Hajimemashite little ones," Yoshi whispered, his hand shaking slightly as he reached out to lay the barest of touches on one of the little girls' foreheads. She let out a disgruntled snuffle and her brow scrunched up in confusion before smoothing back out as she settled back into the soft bliss of sleep. Her sister immediately wriggled closer in response and Yoshi stroked her brow in a similar fashion. 

 

With the simplest of touches, he was in love.

 

Yoshi spent a couple more minutes just watching them sleep, equally as mesmerized as Leo by the simple feat that the twins seemed to have mastered: sleeping peacefully. Finally, Leo shifted the blanket so that it covered their little bodies, leaving only their heads exposed and steeled himself for whatever his father had to say. He had left with the objective to gather information and possibly infiltrate an important enemy base and had returned with twin infant daughters. To make matters worse, despite his father's initial positive reaction to the girls, his face had gone blank the minute that they were once again covered and reality began to leak in around the bliss of their discovery.

 

"Leonardo..." he started, his face suddenly softening into a smile when he saw how his son tensed even more (if that was even possible at this point) at the sound of his voice, "You have been given a rare gift my son. Two blessings have joined the Hamato clan today. What are their names?"

 

It suddenly hit Leo that he did not know if Karai had named their... his daughters before he had taken them. Having decided that Karai was in no state to properly name the girls, his mind began to race through names as he gazed down at the peaceful faces of his daughters, hoping for a clue. He knew very little about their relative personalities but just watching them sleep their auras still glowed with a soft strength, their spirits calling out their true names.

 

"Hoshiko." He whispered to the smaller of the two. Her mother's dark eyes peeked out from under her lashes as she nestled herself further under the blanket. She let out a contented little sigh and Leo took that as acceptance of her name. He smiled softly, soothingly stroking her downy head until his other daughter's whimpers for attention drew him to her. She was slightly bigger than her sister and her sleepy eyes were a slightly darker shade of his own shocking blue. He stroked her little back, feeling every bump in her tiny spine as she curled into his touch. Suddenly her name spilled from his lips like it had been pulled from his very core.

 

"Kameko."

 

He finally pulled his mesmerized gaze from the miracle of his daughters to find his father watching him with a mix of pride, love, and worry. it was the worry that made Leo realize what he had yet to tell his father, what his next question must be.

 

"My son, who-" he started to ask, his hand coming to rest comfortingly on Leo's shoulder. Leo cut him off quickly, unable to bear hearing the whole question come out of his father's mouth. Even the idea of Karai being thought of as their mother made him sick as he remembered the blatant disdain she had displayed for his daughters.

 

"Karai. But she is not their mother. She gave them to me father, renounced them. They are mine." He said as emphatically as he could while still keeping his voice low so as not to disturb his daughters' peaceful slumber.

 

A bolt of shock dashed across Yoshi's face before his expression molded into a deep concern and fear unlike he had felt since he had sent his own son away. As he looked down at Leo and his granddaughters and was reminded of the 20 years he had lived without his most precious child, he knew he could not ask Leonardo to do as he had done. Nevertheless, the danger loomed ever-constant and he would do everything in his power to spare his young kin the terror that had stained Leo's early years. Something had to be done.

 

"Leonardo." His son's face began to adopt a worry that matched his own as he saw the depth of Yoshi's fear displayed so blatantly on his usually impassive face, "Oroku Saki will not forget these children as easily as his daughter. He will do anything to hurt me, to hurt us. He has destroyed me using my family before and we must not let him try again."

 

Leonardo's face paled faster than should have been possible as if his heart had stopped beating at the memory of what had happened to his mother and how he had received the three long scars across his chest. His hand automatically pressed against his chest just over his heart and subsequently the very center of his scars.

 

"No." He croaked out, his eyes blank as he tried to fight the overwhelming memories that had haunted him since Saki's last attack on their family. He broke out of it as soon as he glanced down at his daughters, unable to reconcile the image of how Oroku Saki could potentially haunt them too.

 

"My son. We will not let him." Yoshi grabbed both of his shoulders, grounding him with his own watery gaze, his heart breaking in his chest as he realized what they must do.

 

“You must leave Japan.” He said softly and Leo’s head shot up to look at him in unadulterated shock, and a slight tinge of hurt.

 

“You...you want me to leave?! But we’ve only been together for 2 years. I have so much more to learn! I-!” Leo’s voice began raising as his panic mounted and Yoshi quickly cut him off with a tight hug. His son’s strong form was shaking with anxiety and Yoshi never regretted sending him away more than in that moment. It was his fault his son feared solitude, feared being abandoned.

 

“I do not wish you to leave my son.” A single tear rolled down his cheek when Leo all but collapsed into his chest, both of them still mindful of the delicate babies asleep between them, "But you must. To protect them."

 

Leo pulled back from his father's embrace and took a deep breath to steady his roiling emotions. He looked at his father's sad but resigned face and felt his stomach sink as he realized what he would have to do, who he would have to face, what memories he would have to dig up. And then he looked at his sleeping daughters, their peaceful faces, and he knew that he would tackle it all to keep them safe.

 

"You're right father," he whispered and gave him a rueful smile as he sat back on his knees and looked at his tiny family. His father and his daughters who had only known each other for a few minutes and who had to be separated for an unknown amount of time, until Oroku Saki was no longer a threat to his family.

 

"Where will you go my son?" Yoshi asked as they both stood, Leo carefully picking up the basket and glancing towards his quarters where his things had been accumulating for the past two years. He would have to pack them up again. It felt like he had barely been here a month and now he was leaving again, unsure of when he would ever come back. For a moment he wondered if he was ever destined to have a permanent home or if he must always be running from something. Would his girls ever have a home?

 

"We'll go to New York." He said softly, his emotions swept up in a tornado of excitement at returning to his home and terror at facing what he had left behind there. "I'll keep you safe."


	2. Turbulence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a little Dad interlude where Leo learns that young babies on long distance flights are not the walk in the park that he was expecting. Good Luck!

Leonardo packed his belongings in record time that night, his life narrowed down to two suitcases and a baby bag. In record time his father had ordered a clan member to procure some baby supplies. Now his young daughters had a special joint baby carrier as well as food, diapers, and a couple of changes of clothes. As he looked at himself in the reflection of the floor length window overlooking the city, Leo realized just how much had changed in the span of a few hours. He had become a father and now he was fleeing Japan and his father to return to the place and people he had been avoiding for almost two years. He took a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm his nerves but they remained practically vibrating with anxiety. After a few minutes of fruitless attempts to center himself, he finally gave up in favor of gathering the bags and rejoining his father under the cherry tree. 

 

While Leo had been packing, Yoshi had been soaking up every last second he had with his granddaughters, their tiny bodies now cradled in his arms as he spoke quietly to them. As soon as Leo entered the room he gave them each a kiss and returned them to their respective baby carriers. Now awake, the little girls watched their grandfather retreat from their field of vision with wide eyes. Yoshi could barely bring himself to step away from them as his son approached, drawing upon significant inner strength not to cradle them to his chest once more.

 

"Father, it’s time," Leo said softly as he walked up short steps to where his little family was waiting. A rebellious part of his mind scolded him for not counting his brothers and the guilt that had been slowly eating away at a part of his mind suddenly came to life to remind him he had another family that he had left behind. He quickly pushed the guilt back behind his walls that held back all of the other unsavory emotions that he didn't want to feel. He focused back on his father's face as he looked at him sympathetically. Hamato Yoshi knew the circumstances behind Leo's departure from New York and the only family he had ever known. He sympathized with his son and despite the half of his heart that was breaking his other half hoped that his son would find peace with the family he left behind in New York. It would be nice to add three more sons to his clan. Knowledgeable as he was about the emotional turmoil behind his son's careful mask Yoshi pulled him into a tight embrace, holding him until Leonardo gave in and wrapped his arms around his father.

 

"We will be together again my son. I will not let you go again." He whispered, his lips inches from Leo's forehead. He placed a kiss on his brow and then released his son so he could pick up the baby carriers and walk out into the hall where someone was waiting with his bags. A memory suddenly burned into his head, his son walking away with his granddaughters, glancing back for one more look at his father, his blue eyes determined but also worried that it would be the last time, a fear that was reflected in Hamato Yoshi's heart. It was the same look that his son had given him twenty years ago as he had been led away, their home in ruins, his mother dead at the hands of the Shredder. And yet, the worst part about it was that look in his son's eyes when he looked back at his father, their blue depths still shining with tears and desperation. The last words his son had said to him that day were etched into his mind for a lifetime, "Otosan?"

 

Three-year-old Leo dissolved into the young man before him. In the years that he had been gone, he had grown into a man at six foot two inches with a strong, handsome face completely devoid of the baby fat he remembered. His black hair has been shaved in an undercut and the long hair on top had been gathered into a perfect topknot. He was well-muscled after years of dedicated ninja training but his body was lean enough for speed. The only thing that hadn’t changed was his expressive blue eyes, piercing his soul and practically begging Yoshi to find him again.

 

Wordlessly Yoshi nodded to his son and steeled his resolve as Leo disappeared out the doors. As soon as the doors to their home closed, Yoshi hurried to the comm system built into the wall and pressed the call button for his personal attendant.

 

“Get me my son’s second in command.” Stopping Oroku Saki couldn’t wait another moment, he would have his family back. No one would stand in his way this time.

 

 

Leonardo was in a daze as the car pulled away from the Hamato estate and easily navigated the crowded streets of Tokyo towards the airport. He looked out the window as he normally would but the city blurred into a shapeless blob of neon lights and faceless masses. This place that had been his home for two years, disappeared before his very eyes.

 

Suddenly his daze was broken by a sharp cry for attention from one of the carriers on either side of him. He quickly examined both of his daughters, only to find Hoshiko contentedly gumming on her fingers while Kameko was wriggling uncomfortably in her seat, letting out angry little grunts as she did.

 

“Kameko.” He admonished her gently and disentangled her leg from one of the straps holding her in the carrier, “This is just the beginning of a very long journey my daughter." As he spoke to her he stroked the soft skin of her chubby little arms, chuckling quietly when she grabbed for his finger, clutching it with all of her strength. "My little warrior." He cooed fondly at her and she screeched happily in response. Unfortunately, her attention was wavering and she quickly became fascinated with trying to eat the tip of his finger. When she found the task insurmountable, she settled with sucking on his finger as she looked around at her brand new clothes and baby carrier. Leo glanced over at Hoshiko and found her staring out at the window, what looked like awe on her little face. Of course, some part of him knew that there was no way for him to know what she was feeling, she could be thinking or feeling anything. Nevertheless, some part of him felt like it was awe on that little face. He reached over with his free hand and tickled her stomach, bringing her attention back to him. She squealed happily and squirmed, kicking her little legs as best she could.

 

Their happily little bubble suddenly broke as the car stopped and Leo looked up to find that the car had stopped and the driver was unloading his luggage from the trunk. Slowly he pulled his finger from Kameko's grip and withdrew his tickles as Hoshiko's giggling died down. Leo checked their buckles quickly, making sure that they were secure. The driver stood patiently next to the open door as Leo double-checked the diaper bag to make sure that he had everything. Once he was as satisfied as he would be that he had everything he needed, Leo carefully climbed out of the car, one baby carrier in each hand. He felt slightly ridiculous with a baby bag slung over his shoulder and a baby carrier in each hand but, nevertheless, he held his head up proudly and began walking towards the check-in desk, his driver following him with the bags.

 

Everything went smoothly until the bags had been checked and his driver departed, then it suddenly descended into madness. Leo wasn't exactly sure what he had been expecting but it definitely wasn't standing in the men's room desperately searching for a changing table while both of his daughters sobbed uncontrollably. He was close to sobbing himself what with the absolutely foul scent that was rising up out of each baby carrier and combining into the literal smell of death. The other men in the bathroom looked just as uncomfortable as he did, especially when Leo couldn't find a changing table in the men's room and woefully gave up. He glanced at the women's room, knowing it was probably full of free changing tables, but dared not make a scene and actually try to go in. For just a moment he felt everything crashing around him, this situation being just the final nail in his coffin.

 

The hustle and bustle of the Tokyo International Airport faded around him until he was standing in the middle of the crowd, completely alone with two screaming babies that he had no idea how to care for. He could hear the high pitched whine of an anxiety attack beginning to descend on him and his breath began coming in heavy gasps as he desperately tried to draw air into his slowly constricting lungs. Just when he was about to jump off the precipice and descend into a dark place that he hated with all of his being, the barest touch on his knuckles stopped everything. It took everything in him to look down where the touch came from. Hoshiko's face was red from crying and her tears were still staining her cheeks, rolling from her brown eyes like a waterfall. Her little hand had been waving around in distress until her fingers found his and now her little fingers were scrabbling against his, asking for his help. She needed his help. His daughters needed his help. They were depending on him.

 

Just like that the world suddenly came into focus and determination found its way back into Leo's gaze as he surveyed the gate area for somewhere to change his daughters. His body was still shaking slightly from the pent up stress and he wasn't breathing normally just yet but he pushed through it and the crowd to make it to an unoccupied bench across the way from where he had been publicly panicking. Once he made it to the bench, he carefully set down the babies and dug around the diaper bag until he found the changing blanket that one of his father’s aides had bought for him. All business, he laid the blanket out and grabbed a diaper, wipes, and some baby powder. Once his station was perfectly set up he turned to his two screaming daughters. While Hoshiko seemed to have calmed down now that changing was eminent, Kameko immediately increased her volume to compensate for her twin.

 

Leo sighed in resignation and quickly unbuckled Kameko, cradling her wriggling form close and finally taking a look at the diaper situation, all the while keeping a vigilant eye on Hoshiko. He peered down the back of Kameko’s onesie and immediately felt his sense of smell die and his heart sink into his stomach. The poor baby’s diaper was overflowing up her back and on her chubby little thighs. He gently laid her down and went about changing her diaper and cleaning her up. Thankfully, both girls had a couple of changes of clothes in the bag and he was able to put her in a little white onesie covered in pink and orange sakura blossoms.

 

Now that she was clean, Kameko gave her daddy a gum-filled grin and shoved her fist in her mouth to suck on. Leo chuckled at her miraculous change in behavior and clipped her back into her carrier and gave her a pacifier to suck on instead of her fist. With the loudest of the two settled, Leo unstrapped the sniffling Hoshiko and went about changing her considerably less messy diaper. Even with her diaper changed, Hoshiko continued to sniffle, fat tears rolling down her cheeks. Immediately, the panic set back in and Leo’s thoughts spiraled to how things could have gone wrong.

 

“Shhh, my little star.” He whispered as he cradled her on the floor of the airport right outside of their terminal, “It’s ok. Daddy’s here Hoshiko.”

 

Before he could get her fully settled, the announcement sounded for boarding for his flight. Glancing between the gate and his still sniffling daughter he resigned himself to comforting her on the plane. He carefully strapped her back in and then methodically packed up the impromptu changing station that he had created. By the time he had gathered all of his things and hurried over to the gate Hoshiko was whimpering in her carrier and the other passengers watching him pass winced in sympathy and dread. The worst thing to happen to a long distance flight was a crying baby, but there was no time for him to stop and settle his daughter.

 

Leo found his seats in first-class quickly, more grateful than he had ever been that his father had the money and power to reserve a whole row of first class seats last minute. He fiddled with the seat belts for what felt like an eternity, never truly satisfied with the security of their placement. He placed himself in the middle with a daughter on each side and immediately turned his attention to Hoshiko. He carefully cradled her to his chest, rubbing her back and whispering softly to her in attempts to calm her down. Slowly, as the other passengers boarded and looked at Leo and his daughters with varying emotions: ranging from mesmerization to open disdain. Leo maintained a cool outer exterior for both reactions, uncomfortable with the attention of those who had positive opinions and angered by the people who displayed negative ones. By the time the flight was fully loaded and ready for takeoff Hoshiko had stopped crying but was still a little fussy that she had to go back into the baby carrier.

 

Leo reluctantly set her down and gave her a pacifier like her sister, hoping to appease her sudden moodiness with distraction. It seemed to work in the moment but something in her eyes told Leo that she wasn’t settled just yet. He gave her a pleading look and took little blankets his father had personally picked out for the girls and tucked them in, hoping that somehow it would inspire sleep. They seemed to settle down slightly and make sleepy little noises so Leo relaxed in his seat and waited for take off.

 

As soon as the plane was in the air the angry screaming from Komeko started up again, only this time it was joined by the angry screams of her sister. Leo frantically tried to soothe them, unable to do more than rub their stomachs as they had yet to reach a safe altitude where he could take them out to soothe them. He shrugged apologetically at the couple across the aisle who was watching him try to juggle two screaming babies. The husband was watching him in annoyance while the wife had a more sympathetic tone to her expression.

 

As his own ears popped from the final increase in altitude Leo suddenly realized what had upset his girls so. They had never flown before and the change in altitude was hurting their ears. He cooed sympathetically at them, wishing beyond anything that he could take their pain away but in this situation, he was utterly helpless. It was a feeling that he did not enjoy.

 

Once they got high enough for the ‘Fasten Seat Belt’ sign to turn off, Leo immediately picked up both girls and laid them on his chest, leaning his seat back enough that they could rest comfortably on him. Their crying didn’t cease so much as taper off slowly into angry sniffles as their little fists curled around the fabric of his shirt, practically gluing themselves to his chest. Despite their upset states, he was grateful for the contact. There was something soothing about the two points of slight weight on his chest, letting him know for sure that his children were still there. After one round of drink service where Leo got some water for the girls’ bottles without so much as disturbing them, the cabin lights dimmed as the 13 hour night flight began.

 

So began Hamato Leonardo’s first night as a father.

 

The first couple of hours marked the beginning with a round of steady turbulence that kept Leo holding on to his daughters for dear life, even though it wasn’t entirely necessary. Every time the relentless bumping seemed to come to an end and the girls would fall back to sleep, it would start back up again and their distressed cries would once again ring through the small cabin.

 

When they moved out of the turbulent area the entire plane breathed a sigh of relief, Leo, especially, as he finally got the chance to close his eyes and get a few hours of sleep. The first time one of the twins woke him up to be fed he almost shot up in surprise, nearly sending his daughters flying. He quickly caught on to what Kameko wanted and carefully strapped Hoshiko into her baby carrier so that he could make Kameko’s bottle. The bottle was relatively easy to make and Kameko was so eager that as soon as the nipple touched her lips she sucked on it as hard as she could, practically guzzling the formula.

 

Unfortunately, when he tried to feed Hoshiko she refused to take the bottle and just went back to sleep. 

 

And so the cycle continued, every hour he was up feeding one baby while the other slept peacefully. It was just his luck that his daughters refused to be on the same schedule and effectively deprived him of any sleep throughout the flight.

 

Thirteen hours later, Leo was jolted out of his light sleep by a gentle hand on his shoulder. His eyes opened to the full lights of the cabin nearly blinding him and he winced at the sheer brightness that assaulted him. He let out a little groan and rubbed his eyes, trying to acclimate to the sudden change. When he finally adjusted, he was met with an empty plane and a flight attendant with an awkward smile on his face.

 

“I’m sorry sir but we have arrived in New York and we have to start cleaning the plane for the next flight.”

 

“Arigatou gozaimasu.” He mumbled and fumbled tiredly with his seat buckle, gathering up the baby bag and his sleeping daughters. He navigated through JFK like a well-practiced pro, which was probably for the best considering he was running on a couple of hours of sleep and had absolutely no idea where he was going.

 

He didn’t realize that he had no destination until he got into the taxi and the driver asked him for a destination. In his rush, he hadn’t booked a hotel room and it was 3 am, much too late to find a suitable room that would also work to conceal their presence in New York from their enemies. Leo stared his lap for a second, his mind desperately rolling through all of his contacts in New York. He would do anything to avoid going to any of his brothers, it was much too sudden and prone to an emotional explosion that could disturb his children. No, he needed to plan that introduction before he even considered contacting his brothers. That left one option, one chance to ease his way back into New York with his only ally left.

 

He gave the address to the cabbie and then leaned back in the old leather seats to think about what he was going to say. How was he going to explain two babies let alone showing up in New York after two years of silence? Would he even be welcome? Would his children be welcome?

 

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn’t even notice that it had begun to rain. When the cab pulled up to his destination, Leo could barely see the worn sign for the Second Chance antique store. He pulled the baby covers over the child seats to protect them from the rain and followed the driver to the entrance to the building. The driver left his bags on the step and Leo made sure to tip him well for his help before turning to stare and the call button and intercom system. It had been years since he’d been to her apartment but it felt like just yesterday that he and his brothers had come over for a movie binge and pizza night. He smiled ruefully at the memory of Raph chasing Mikey around because he was hogging all the pizza and Donnie fiddling with April’s cable box so that she could get unlimited channels and movies for them to watch. Those had been simpler days when their only care had been pizza, video games, and ninja training. Things had gotten increasingly complicated as they had grown older and somehow he had come to this point: him standing outside April’s apartments with his twin daughters completely estranged from everything and everyone he had grown up with.

 

Still filled with a deep uncertainty Leo reached forward and pressed the call button, praying to any gods who were listening that April still lived there and was home tonight. After a few minutes of silence, his stomach began its descent to his feet and he decided to press the button one more time. The buzz rang with the sound of rain on the deserted street and Leo waited with bated breath for a response, a sign of life, anything.

 

“Uhhh...Hello?” An exhausted woman answered the come and a shock of familiarity ran through Leo’s body, warming him up inside. He was so absorbed in memories that he forgot he was supposed to reply.

 

“Helloooooo?” April’s voice rang out again and Leo quickly pressed the reply button to speak with her.

 

“A-April? It’s Leo. Can we come up, please? I need your help” his voice was unsteady in ways that it had never been before. Leo held his breath as he waited an eternity for a response but there was just silence. His shoulders dropped in defeat and he began gathering his things to find a hotel or somewhere else to stay. He picked up his daughters in their carriers and turned to the street, craning his head around the corner to see if there were any taxis approaching.

 

Suddenly the front door behind him was wrenched open and he spun around to find April O’Neil staring up at him incredulously, panting and dressed in a fluffy robe, pajamas, and slippers. Leo’s eyes widened as he looked at his old friend and the near frantic fashion in which she had burst out of the building. They stared silently at each other for a beat before April’s eyes began to tear up and she gripped her robe as if she needed something solid to hold onto.

 

“Leo?”


	3. My Big Brother's Keeper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little April flashback and some homage to the TMNT movie in 2007, underappreciated but still in my heart!! April and Leo have an unexplored relationship that I totally love. Leo definitely claimed her as his little sister the moment he saw her. They family.

April O'Neil had been in Tokyo for three weeks before a summer heat wave finally hit the city, and though the heat was suffocating, strangely it made her miss the similar summer weather of New York City. The humidity combined with the heat reminded her of the days when she would sit in her apartment, all of the windows open, fans on full blast and just laugh the day away. Of course those days had once been reserved for the five of them. Michelangelo's energy couldn't even be sapped by the oppressive heat and he would spend the entire day scarfing down candy and watching the cartoons that they always had on in the background. April had never understood the obsession with cartoons, but she supposed for Mikey they were a gateway to another reality, another place where things were magical and fantastical, where he could escape his reality for a little while. It wasn't that Mikey was unhappy, rather he was very happy with his big brothers and the life he led, but who could fault him for wanting to escape once and a while. She and Donatello had been dancing around each other at the time, so he always stayed close to her, on his laptop but still hanging onto her every word. It was so adorable, and still was. Raphael would smuggle a pack of beers when they were younger, and when he turned 21 he proudly bought them himself. He had declared that hot days like those rare sweltering moments deserved a cold beer. Then there was Leo. He would always give Raphael a disapproving lecture about the beer but in the end he never told Splinter and let his brother have those sweltering days. Leo had always hated summer days, but he had a weakness for her lemonade so he could be pacified against the heat. She distinctly remembered the way his eyes would light up when she gave him a glass, like it was the only thing he looked forward to about summer.

 

When she decided to go on this month-long journalism exchange program part of her knew that she was also looking for Leo. Leo had always been obsessed with Japanese culture and his origins and part of her felt that Japan was where he had disappeared to. But the moment she touched down in Tokyo she had known that she was in way over her head, that she was looking for a needle in a stack of needles. So she had tried to enjoy her trip, using her rudimentary Japanese to travel around the city, gathering personal stories for her report and secretly hoping the Leo would turn up out of the blue.

 

The truth was that she missed him. He had been like an older brother to her for almost the entirety of her childhood and not having him around felt... wrong. Growing up, it had only been her and her father and when she was younger her dad has spent most of his time studying for his doctorate in psychology or working various jobs to keep food on the table. They had moved into the neighborhood when April was six and she met the brothers a couple days later. From that moment on they had been her best friends, and eventually her surrogate family. Leo had easily slid into the big brother role: keeping her safe from bullies on her walks to and from school, teaching her how to defend herself, and comforting her when she was upset. 

 

He and his brothers had been an important part of every important event in her life and it felt like there was big hole in her life without him there. He didn't even know that Donnie had finally gotten the courage to ask her out and they had been dating for nearly 6 months! She sighed heavily and slumped in her chair, morosely sipping her soda as she watched people pass her by on the street. She didn't have anything planned today since she had nearly finished her assignment and only had a couple days left before she went back to New York. While she was excited to get back to her family and her techie boyfriend, she was still holding out an inkling of hope that Leo might appear.

 

Two American businessmen settled at the table next to hers and order a couple of beers. April tried to ignore them but the way they were talking and acting made her understand exactly why the general image of American tourists was as negative as it was. They were talking loudly over their beers about a business deal that had apparently gone south that day, which was mind-numbingly boring until one of the businessmen leaned forward eagerly and began gossiping. Now normally business gossip was just as boring as business talk but April still had some room in her assignment to talk about Japanese business culture. Casually she opened the notes on her phone and leaned towards them a little bit to catch what they were saying.

 

"-and I can't believe no one knows who the heir to the Hamato corporation is!"

 

"Well it's only the biggest corporation in Japan. It's kind of a big deal."

 

"I see why they want to play it up for the press, but I want to know who exactly I'm going to be dealing with when old man Hamato finally retires."

 

"I guess you'll find out with the rest of us."

 

Their conversation quickly turned to something else, but by then April was off to the Hamato Corp. headquarters, her mind racing and her adrenaline pumping. Finally, something exciting! When she arrived at the building, April quickly straightened out her t-shirt and jeans, stuck her hair up in a ponytail and strapped on her backpack. It wasn't her best plan, but why not play up the American tourist while she could?

 

She strutted into the building and quickly scanned the directory for the floor that the records room was on. The information safely stored in her brain, she made her way over to reception with a novelty map of Tokyo in hand. It was just around lunchtime and the lobby was heavy with traffic as workers moved in and out of the building. Perfect. April leaned over the counter and shoved the map in the poor receptionists face before launching into a nonsense tirade about trying to find the McDonald's for some 'decent food' in an exaggerated Western accent. The receptionist looked increasingly confused and tried to tell her over and over again that she didn't speak English. Of course April actually understood her from the phrases that Leo had taught her but continued prattling on and gesturing to various places on the cartoonish map.

 

Finally the woman gave up and motioned for her to wait there as she went to find a security guard that spoke English. April grinned and seamlessly stepped away from the counter to blend into an oncoming crowd headed for the elevators. She made it in just as the receptionist returned to the desk with security. April smirked as the doors closed and the elevator made its way up the colossal building. Once the crowd had thinned out she pressed the button for the 50th floor: executive offices and records. By the time the elevator finally reached her floor it was empty except for her so it was easy to sneak through the offices towards the records room. She stopped for a second to peek at the executive offices, wondering if there was a way for her to catch a glimpse of the unknown heir, but the offices were dark and empty.

 

April shrugged and speed-walked over to the records room, slipping through the door before anyone took too much notice of her. She breathed a sigh of relief and turned around to find a wall of filing cabinets that seemed to extend into eternity. She heaved a heavy sigh and began her search through the cabinets to find the personnel records. By the time she actually found them amidst the other budgetary paperwork, April was starting to wonder if this was as good of an idea as she thought it was. After all, she had enough information to write a great paper on the ins and outs of Japanese news culture without this secret business tycoon tidbit. But the curious part of her brain, the one that always ended up getting her in trouble, screamed that she couldn't pass up an opportunity like this. A real reporter wouldn't back down for good enough.

 

So she pressed on and made her way to the executive files where she came up blank. Now surrounded by a pile of files, April let out a frustrated huff and blew a stray hair out of her eyes. She'd come this far, she was not going to leave empty-handed. Suddenly, she got an idea and practically dove for the file on the CEO, Hamato Yoshi. She was in the middle of scanning his paperwork when a large hand tightly gripped her shoulder and a familiar voice growled out, "What do you think you're doing in here?"

 

April froze, the file dropping from her grip and her heart pounding in her chest as if it was trying to jump out and run towards the owner of that voice. Slowly, April turned around and found herself looking into a familiar pair of electric blue eyes. Standing over her with a shocked look on his face that probably mirrored her own, was Leonardo.

 

"April?! What... what are you doing here?" Leo asked incredulously but April remained silent as she took in his face. It had only been a year but Leo had changed significantly. He was wearing a suit and not the casual jeans and t-shirt she was used to seeing him in. Gone was the short, neat hairstyle he had had for the entire time they had known each other, only to be replaced by a stylish topknot. His face looked more relaxed than last time she had seen him which, to be fair, was on the day of Splinter's funeral.

 

"April?" He asked again, his surprise morphing it concern when she just continued to stare at him.

 

"Leo!" she exclaimed as she snapped out of her daze and surged forward to wrap him in a near suffocating embrace. Leo chuckled a little breathlessly and wrapped his arms around her in a much gentler embrace. April held her breath and clenched her teeth to prevent the tears from flowing down her cheeks but a couple escaped her grasp and plopped on the expensive fabric of Leo's suit. She quickly pulled back and wiped away the waiting tears and laughed as she looked him over again.

 

"You look great Leo!" She laughed a little tearfully and patted his shoulder affectionately if not a little awkwardly.

 

"Thanks," a bashful red spread across his cheeks at the compliment. April smiled up at him fondly, relieved a little bit that some things never change. Leo had never been very graceful at accepting compliments, something she had always found endlessly endearing.

 

"Wait... what are you doing in Japan? And the records room?" Leo got that familiar 'what have you been up to young lady?' look and April shrunk slightly, a sheepish look on her face.

 

"I've been here on a summer exchange for the past couple weeks. I heard about a local mysterious business tycoon so I decided to sniff around Hamato Corp. for some information." She shrugged and let out a nervous giggle when Leo's face went from amused to stern. She could have sworn that there was a little nervousness in his gaze but it was quickly replaced by his big brother look that was both comforting and scary.

 

"April... that's a secret for a reason. You shouldn't be sneaking into the building like this. You could get in a lot of trouble." he admonished her and April's common sense suddenly took control back from her reporter's ambition.

 

"Yeah you're right. But who cares about that, I finally found you!" her excitement sobered and she looked up at him in sad confusion, "We haven't heard from you in almost a year Leo. Our strange little family hasn't been the same without you..."

 

Leo shifted uncomfortably and looked down at the mess of files on the floor rather than her probing gaze, "How bad could it really be? I'm sure they're all out living their lives just like me."

 

April frowned at his stubbornness and placed an imploring hand on his chest, "We're a family Leo. We all belong together."

 

"I can't go back yet April, after everything that happened I don't know if I ever want to." he mumbled softly, but the words cut straight to April's core. She was losing him, so she pulled out her old trump card.

 

"If Master Splinter was here he would ask you what your heart is telling you." she said equally as softly, any mention of Splinter still bringing a painful sensation in her chest. Leo physically jerked at her words and looked at her incredulously for a moment before his eyes glazed over in thought. He was actually considering her words rather than lashing out. That was a good sign if anything.

 

"I don't know." he finally sighed out in frustration, his hands clenching into fists at his side, "I just know something's missing."

 

"We need you Leo." She looked down and her voice got small as she drew in on herself, physically and emotionally. No one had truly gotten over Splinter's sudden death, rather they had all thrown themselves in opposite directions, buried themselves in their work rather than their family. They were broken, fragmented, and it wasn't just hard on her. "We're lost without you."

 

"My brothers made it very clear that they didn't need a leader anymore." Leo's face darkened and April looked up at him with a mixture pain and frustration at his stubborn ability to hold onto the past.

 

“Maybe not, but Leo they still need their big brother.” His face remained frozen in that impassive look, "I need you..."

 

For a moment his face softened and April thought she had gotten through to him, but it wasn't meant to be. Suddenly he shook his head and stiffened up, closing off to her in a way that he had done so many times before. As much as she loved Leonardo it had always driven her crazy that he locked his emotions away like that, as if feeling was a sign of weakness.

 

“They were the ones that left April." he almost whispered, the hurt still raw in his voice. April's hopes officially sunk into the floor as Leo turned away from her, "Go home April and stay out the Hamato's business."

 

April couldn't muster up another way to convince him, for the first time unable to muster up her usual persistence. She followed Leo out the door and he led her over to the elevator, refusing to look at each other the whole way there. He pressed the button for her and they waited for the elevator in an uncomfortable silence that only made the pit in her stomach bigger and more uncomfortable. When the elevator arrived she stepped in and they finally locked eyes once again, Leo's sadness barely hidden behind his icy look and hers apparent in the tears spilling from her green orbs.

 

"Do me a favor. Don’t tell anyone that you found me.” Leo said as the door closed and suddenly April was left staring at the cold metal of the doors as tears streamed uncontrollably from her eyes. As soon as she got out of the building her despair overwhelmed her and the strong urge to curl up in Donnie's arms and cry filled her entirely. She fumbled with her phone, quickly dialing the number for Donnie's cell, knowing that even though it was midnight her boyfriend would be up working. It rang twice before the comforting voice of her boyfriend burst out of the speakers with his usual dorky cheer.

 

"Hey sweetheart, how's the future?" Normally the quip would have her giggling and teasing him about his geekiness, but this time it opened the floodgates and she let out a little sob into the phone.

 

"Donnie I wanna come home."

 

* * *

 

And now April stood in front of her big brother once again, staring at him as he stood on her front porch in the rain. She was still half-convinced that she was hallucinating him and he was still in Japan, but an unhappy cry from one of the baby carriers pulled her out of her daze and they both looked at the grumpy baby wriggling around in her blanket. April looked up at Leo in even more shock, her eyes so wide it felt like they might pop out of her head.

 

"Can we... come in?" Leo asked uncertainly and it suddenly hit April that it was raining and Leo and two babies were standing on her porch at 3 am. She snapped out of it and scrambled to move out of his way, practically yanking him into the hall.

 

"Oh my gosh yes! Get in here!" she shrieked and Leo stumbled inside, trying to keep the carriers steady as he navigated the stairs up to the apartment. April snatched their bags off the porch and followed Leo's trail up to where he was lingering awkwardly outside her front door. She gave him an odd look and pushed it open. Leo tentatively followed her inside, his body relaxing slightly in the warm, homey atmosphere. April watched him with fascination as he put the baby carriers down in the living room and suddenly found herself kneeling in front of the carriers to look at the two sleepy little girls resting in them. Her mind was spinning frantically at this sudden assault of information combined with her sleepiness.

 

She finally stood up and walked over to Leo who was collapsed on her old couch, exhaustion and trepidation filing his blue eyes. April suddenly felt like every time she saw Leo he had gone through some transformation. She gave him a look filled with a million questions and he warily stared back, his shoulders slumped and his gaze pleading.

 

"Leo... I have so many questions." Her laugh was high and nervous, her hands fiddling nervously with her robe.

 

"I know April I... I just need time. Please?" He looked up at her with such vulnerability and combined with the adorable little girls on the floor in front of him that it was impossible for her to say no (not that she had ever considered it). Instead of an answer she pulled him into a ironclad embrace, crying softly into his sweater as she held him like she would never let go. The day she had been hoping for had finally arrived and she vowed to herself that she wouldn't let Leo walk away again. Her big brother had finally come home.

 

"Welcome home Leo."


	4. Loose Lips

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey so EchoKazul was asking how old everyone is in the story so I decided to include an age chart for the story in this chapter:  
> Leo- 26  
> Donnie- 23  
> Mikey- 20  
> Raph- 24  
> April- 22  
> Casey- 25  
> Hoshiko & Kameko- 2 months
> 
> Beware! Angst ahead!

April peeked out of the kitchen for what felt like the millionth time that day, catching another glimpse of Leo as he chatted away on the phone in fluent Japanese. She may not understand what he was saying but she could recognize his 'leader voice' in any language. He had been on and off the phone for the two days that he had been staying in her apartment and it was driving her absolutely bananas. She had never handled being kept out of the loop very well, and at this point, Leo had a loop completely separate from hers that she was completely in the dark about. As such, she couldn't help but eavesdrop on his conversations, trying to recall the basic Japanese that he had taught her and that she had learned for her trip last year, in order to glean some hint of information about his new life. However, he was speaking so fast that all she could catch were a few words and phrases. April could swear she heard him say 'rabbit' but quickly decided that didn't make any sense so she brushed it off. It was not nearly enough to decipher the enigma that her big brother had become. She would have to find something else. Leo suddenly glanced her direction, probably sensing that he was being watched, and April scrambled to get back into the kitchen and out of sight. Desperate to appear casual, she leaned awkwardly against the counter and grabbed a mug from the clean dish rack, pretending to drink from it.

 

Leo walked in a couple of seconds later and for effect, April took an exaggerated sip from the empty mug. He nodded to her and April examined him closely as he went about making himself a cup of tea. It was oddly comforting to watch him do such a menial, yet familiar, task. She relaxed against the counter and allowed herself a tiny contented smile, her heart swelling slightly at how blissfully normal this all seemed. Leo set the kettle to boil and then turned to fix April with his soft little smile. They stood on either side of the kitchen watching each other for a moment, the apartment quiet for a rare moment since Leo, Hoshiko, and Kameko had come to stay with her. 

 

In the span of two days, April was already beginning to realize that she didn't want kids anytime soon. She had fallen in love with little Hoshiko and Kameko almost from the moment she met them, but the fact that they were unable to sleep through the night and needed constant supervision was starting to wear her down a little. Of course, Leo had taken it in stride just like every other challenge she had ever seen him tackle, but even he was sporting a pair of dark circles under his eyes and fits of jaw-cracking yawns. Yeah, she was definitely going to stay away from any babies who weren't her little nieces for the time being.

 

The scream of the kettle pulled her out of her thoughts and Leo scrambled to pull it off before it disturbed his precious daughters. This particular nap was the most silence April had enjoyed since they arrived and it was blissful. They both held their breath for a second, praying that the silence would continue. For a moment it seemed like Leo had caught the kettle in time, but a demanding cry from the bedroom effectively shattered their hopes. Leo’s shoulders slumped a little but he hurried into the bedroom to soothe the crying baby. April was grateful that the cries quickly tapered off and Leo re-emerged with Kameko in his arms. Despite the tears still drying on her cheeks, her eyes were bright and happy as she examined the room. 

 

“Look who’s up.” April cooed and tickled Kameko’s belly, making her kick in her daddy’s arms and throw her little fists around. April felt her chest warm up at the adorable display and when she glanced up at Leo his face as relaxed into the softest of smiles, his heart and his attention entirely captured by the miracle in front of him. At that moment, Kameko seemed to sense his radiating adoration as she looked up at him and reached her stubby little fingers up towards his face.

 

"She didn't manage to wake her sister but I have no doubt that Hoshiko will be up soon. She's a little night owl." Leo chuckled when Kameko squirmed again, letting out grumpy little noises as she demanded his attention, "Can you hold her for a second so that I can go make her a bottle? It's dinner time for my little turtle."

 

"Of course. How could I resist that little face?" April laughed and Leo carefully transferred Kameko into April's arms so that he could begin preparing her formula. April was busy cooing and making funny faces at Kameko when her phone buzzed in her pocket. She maneuvered Kameko onto her hip and pulled her smartphone out, glancing at the screen to find a message from Donnie waiting. Usually, the sweet message about how he couldn't wait to see her tonight for family pizza dinner would send her heart pounding and cause a smile to bloom across her face, but her heart sunk into her stomach and she swallowed nervously. She had never had problems with keeping secrets, except for the brothers. They had a special way of getting the secret out of her, sometimes without even trying. Normally this wasn't a problem because the boys were good at keeping secrets, but this secret involved Leo and constantly kept her conscience at war. Part of her, the one that was winning right now, told her that she had to respect Leo's wishes and let him come to his brothers in his own time. Especially now that his children were involved. The other half of her heart was insistent that if she left things up to Leo he would take until the girls were in kindergarten to talk to his brothers and therefore needed a patented O'Neil kick in the ass. She sighed heavily and glanced over at Leo who looked perfectly content making a bottle as if he had been doing it his whole life.

 

Her brain was right about one thing: Leo would take an eternity before he was even close to ready to reconnect with his brothers. So April decided to give him an opening.

 

"Hey Leo..." She asked tentatively and he hummed in response to let her know that he was listening. April took a deep breath and let her need to meddle take over as she pushed onward.

 

"I'm going to get some pizza with the guys tonight. It would be really great if you came with me. Ya know, to at least let them know that you're back in New York? We've all really missed you since you've been gone and...." she trailed off as she watched Leo's entire body freeze and tense up. Deja vu hit her as he turned around, stubborn denial visible in his expression even if he had yet to voice it. The optimism April had been feeling up until that moment deflated and she reconciled herself with the fact that this was going to be harder than she thought. He reached for Kameko, still stone cold and silent, and April handed her over so that she could receive her bottle. Leo's expression softened slightly as he watched her greedily devour the contents of the bottle, but not enough to give in to April's suggestion.

 

"I don't really think that's a good idea April. I... I need more time." His voice was soft, but there was an air of finality to his words that made April's frustration rise to meet his stubbornness. She just barely stopped herself from warning him about how much time he had already taken and how much more this family could really stand to wait. Her phone buzzed again to remind her that the rest of her little family was waiting for her at their favorite pizza restaurant, and with one more look at the stubborn stiffness of Leo's posture, she gave up.

 

"Ok Leo. I'll try and snag you some leftovers, but you know how your brothers can put away pizza." she laughed awkwardly and Leo looked vaguely uncomfortable in response.

 

"Yeah... Thanks April." With that, he turned and walked into the living room to settle on the couch while Kameko fed. April sighed and hurried into her room to change for dinner. She slipped on her favorite pair of ripped skinny jeans, a black tank top and a cut off yellow sweatshirt with the logo for Antonio's Pizza proudly displayed. She slipped on her forest green canvas jacket as an extra layer against imminent rain and headed out to the front door where her black combat boots were waiting.

 

She glanced back from the front door at Leo and found him completely absorbed in burping Kameko while he fiddled with something on his laptop. She couldn't help a sad smile at how cute he looked with his daughter while the sadness of their fractured family lingered in her heart. She couldn't help but imagine his brothers around him, helping him and fawning over the babies. They deserved to know their nieces, but that persistent part of her worried that Leo's stubborn aversion to change would prevent that from happening.

 

"See ya later Leo!" She called as she opened the door to reveal a classic New York evening, the sun slowly descending over the skyline.

 

Just as she closed the door behind her she caught his reply and felt her heart lift up just the slightest, despite the circumstances, "Ki wo tsukete."

 

* * *

 

April was standing outside of Antonio's Pizzeria trying to psych herself up to face the three men waiting for her inside their familiar haunt. They had been coming to the family-run restaurant since it opened and it had always been a place for their family to come together, to have fun. After Leo left Mikey had insisted on a family pizza night every Friday to keep them stitched together as best he could despite the hole their oldest brother had left. And now April was going to their special dinner in this sacred place and she would have to lie to them. She would have to pretend like their missing piece wasn't a couple of blocks away rather than in some unknown place. This was the second time since Leo's disappearance that she had found him and would have to lie about it to the people who missed him the most. It was nerve-wracking. She paced the sidewalk in front of the restaurant a couple more times before taking a deep, bracing breath and pushing her way into the restaurant and right into the solid chest of her boyfriend. 

 

April looked up to his considerable height of six foot six and was met with a confused and concerned expression on his handsome face. Donnie's dark skin was smooth and clean shaven, his dark hair cut close to his scalp in tidy little curls, and his glasses dipping slightly down his nose to reveal warm chocolate eyes that immediately eased some of her anxiety. April quickly threw her arms around his slim but muscled figure and hugged him tightly. Confused, but still receptive to her affection, Donnie squeezed her just as tight until she released him in favor of clasping his hand.

 

"Hey." She said quietly, giving him an intimate smile that brought an adorable rush of color to his cheeks.

 

"Uhm Hey." Donnie nervously adjusted his glasses and began leading her to the table, "Everything okay? We saw you pacing around outside."

 

This time it was April's turn to blush in embarrassment as she realized that she had been slightly freaking out in front of the large display window where the entire restaurant could see her, "What? Oh yeah, everything's fine. I just wasn't sure if I turned off my curling iron." She berated herself internally for the stupid lie, she rarely even used a curler on her shoulder-length ginger locks and Donnie was well aware of the fact. He seemed to accept the excuse though and they approached their usual booth where the familiar ragtag group that was her family was sitting. Mikey and Raph were sitting across from each other in the booth, playfully bickering over their pizza choices and which one was the superior pizza. A demolished basket of fried mozzarella sticks sat between them, the customary two last ones left for April.

 

"Dude I'm telling you pepperoni, ham, pineapple, and jalapeno are the way to go." Mikey gestured excitedly to Raph who growled through clenched teeth and glared back at his baby brother.

 

"What kind of freak puts pineapple on pizza?! The best pizza has gotta have the four food groups: pepperoni, sausage, bacon, and beef." Raph leaned back with his arms crossed over his wide, muscular chest and smirked when Mikey just stuck his tongue out childishly in response. Donnie sighed and settled back into his seat next to Raph while April slid in next to Mikey, who immediately pulled her into a happy little side hug.

 

"Raph I really hope that you don't think four different types of meat are separate food groups." Donnie raised one eyebrow at his brothers, a long-suffering look on his face. Raph just grunted and shrugged, fixing his brainy brother with a lopsided smirk.

 

"Nah. They're just the important ones." Donnie gave Raph an incredulous look, then buried his face in his hands when both of his brothers burst into loud peals of laughter.

 

"You guys are gonna be the death of me." April patted Donnie's hand comfortingly and giggled when he immediately captured it in his own and sent her a wink to show that he knew that Raph and Mikey were just messing with him. Her hand now captured by her boyfriend and her side practically draped in Mikey's exuberant form, April relaxed into the feeling of home that was this pizza shop and these three...four brothers. At the thought of Leo, she looked around the table and wondered if Leo really knew how much he had missed in those two years in Japan.

 

Raph had been apprenticing as a mechanic with the neighborhood grease monkey two years ago but now the stocky Latino had opened his own shop and was one of the most popular and successful mechanics in Brooklyn. The second oldest out of the four, Raphael was only six foot but easily the biggest in terms of muscles compared to his brothers. His wide shoulders barely fit into his leather jacket and he seemed like the slightest flex might burst him out of his simple white top. His caramel skin was covered in various scars, some that looked minor and others that were knotted with time and depth. His face was covered in a light dusting of stubble and a couple of scars over the lips that hugged a worn toothpick. His golden eyes burned with a competitive fire as he pretended to lunge over the table at Mikey, but that fire had tempered significantly in the time he had spent learning and growing his business. Raph still had quite the temper, but it was nowhere near as explosive as it used to be. 

 

Then there was her Donnie. The perpetual student, he was in his final year of his doctorates in engineering, mathematics, and chemistry. They had started dating not long after Leo left and were taking it slow until he finished school. Donnie has yet to decide whether to start his own lab or teach but April had the sneaking suspicion that the genius would try and do both. April looked down at the hand holding hers and gently stroked her thumb over one of the many scars littering his appendages. Up until he had started college, Donnie had learned through books and trial and error and his scarred hands reminded her not only of the times he had been hurt as a ninja but also as a scientist. She pulled his hand to her mouth and gave it a little kiss of appreciation, warning her a glowing smile from her boyfriend. Yet another life event that had happened in the two years Leo had been gone. Donnie was finally free of the braces he had had since puberty. All he had left to show for it was a slight gap between his big teeth that April was actually glad never got ‘fixed’. It was part of what made Donnie who he was and she wouldn’t change him for anything in the world.

 

Finally, the baby of their little group, Mikey, had gone through the most changes. After Leo left Mikey had thrown himself into his art and as a consequence produced so many pieces that some of them even spilled over to everyone else’s homes. Mikey had jumped a little in height but remained the shortest of all of his brothers, not even clearing 5’10”. His dirty blonde curls had grown down past his ears and were often mashed under a green beanie that Leo had given him one winter. It was the only one he ever wore. Of all of the brother’s Mikey had taken Leo’s absence the hardest and as a result, his exuberant attitude was more tempered than ever, something that April was kinda grateful for but mostly made her sad when she thought about it. Mikey had started the trend of tattoos in the group by getting a giant tribal turtle piece on his shoulder as well as Lip and ear piercings. In April’s opinion, it was his small rebellion that had sparked Raph covering himself in tattoos. 

 

“Ey! There’s our fifth!” Raph suddenly burst out with a grin and April felt shock run through her entire body. Had Leo decided to come after all? Was this the reunion that she had been waiting for? April excitedly craned her neck in the direction Raph was looking and felt her hopes take a big hit for what felt like the zillion things time that night. It was Casey Jones.

 

“Hey meathead!” Casey exclaimed, leaning over a miffed Donnie to punch Raph in the shoulder before pulling a chair up to the end of the table and sitting on it backward. He gave April a lascivious wink that made her frown and Donnie bristle with annoyance. The ex-hockey player turned grease monkey had somehow wormed his way into their group. The only reason April put up with his general lunkheadedness and shameless flirting was because of how happy he made Raph. Casey has been Raph’s First hire and his most loyal employee. Despite their close relationship, April couldn’t help but feel resentful that Raph would invite him to their special family pizza dinner. Especially now that Leo was back and should have been filling that fifth seat. April scolded herself before her conflicted thoughts could express themselves. It wasn’t Casey’s fault that Raph invited him and it wasn’t Raph’s fault for giving Leo’s seat to someone else. None of them knew that Leo was back, as far as they were concerned he was MIA.

 

April glanced over at Mikey, who had gotten suspiciously quiet at Casey’s entrance. He was staring pensively at the spot Casey now occupied, a furrow growing in his usually smooth brow.

 

The awkward silence was broken by Antonio calling for his delivery boy, who had been staring at his phone like it was the messiah for the entire time they had been there.

 

“Hey kid! Got a delivery for ya. Onions, black olives, green pepper and mushroom to the address on the ticket. Hop to it!” As the delivery kid reluctantly slumped out to his car with the order, the three brothers and April watched him with wide eyes.

 

“Dude...” Mike whispered almost involuntarily as Donnie visibly gulped.

 

“Leo’s favorite pizza.” Donnie confirmed as he looked down at where April was nearly cutting off the circulation to his hand with her grip.

 

“Who da hell is Leo?” Casey’s voice cut through the tension like a hot knife through butter and all attention suddenly snapped to him.

 

“He’s our...older brother.” Mikey said morosely, pulling the orange hood to his jacket up over his head so he could bury himself in it.

 

“He disappeared almost two years ago to the day.” Donnie added, his eyes moist behind his glasses. April felt conflict welling up inside her as she watched her favorite people in the world lament over Leo, who was currently at her apartment, where he had been for days now. They descended into an uncomfortable silence that even Casey didn’t dare break. April was seconds from blurting everything out to ease the hurt when Raph snorted angrily and banged his fist on the table.

 

“Who cares?! It ain’t like he got kidnapped or somethin’! He left us!” He gritted his teeth angrily and ignored the shocked looks from everyone but Casey who was nodding in affirmation of what Raph was saying.

 

“The guy doesn’t even write or nothin! Hell, he could be dead for all we-“

 

“Raphael!” Donnie’s stern voice rang through the restaurant and Raph took one look at a teary-eyed Mikey and shut his mouth so hard his teeth clicked together.

 

“I’m sorry Mike. I’m sure he ain’t dead.” Raph finally offered as an apology which Mikey accepted with a sad sniff and a small nod. To anyone else, his outburst would have seemed like pure anger at Leo but April knew Raph too well not to see the hurt swimming in his eyes.

 

“I don’t see why you care. He sounds like a deadbeat to me.” Casey muttered off to April’s right and suddenly every conflicted emotion she had been feeling burst into a volcano of anger. She ripped her hand away from Donnie’s grip and landed the hardest slap she could on Casey’s stupid face. She glared venomously at him before turning to look at the brothers who were all watching her in absolute shock. Mikey was gaping like a fish, Raph’s eyes were as wide as they went and Donnie looked strangely proud.

 

It was too much for her. She couldn’t keep this secret from them anymore. Damnit, sorry Leo.

 

“I have something I have to tell you.” She started softly as she slumped back into the booth and looked anywhere other than the three men she had essentially lied to. Sure it had only been a couple of days but it still felt like a lifetime.

 

“Leo’s back. He’s been in New York for three days.”

 

Her words were like an atomic bomb being dropped on their group, all of the brothers now gaping at her. It was eerily silent for half a second and then all three brothers exploded.

 

“ **WHAT?!** ”

 

“He’s been here for three days?”

 

“Why hasn’t he come to see us?”

 

“How do you know this?”

 

“Where is he?!”

 

“You need to take us to him now!”

 

“Alright, ALRIGHT!” April bellowed and they fell silent, the table now a mixed bag of emotions. Raph’s face was so red with anger that he looked like he was about to pop, Mikey was in full blown tears now, but was smiling like he won the lottery, and her Donnie was looking at her like she had betrayed him. Her heart sank as she realized that in a way, she had.

 

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before.” April sighed and tried to seem apologetic but still firm in her tone. She may have blown part of her promise to Leo, but she wasn’t about to completely betray his trust, "Leo’s just not ready to see you guys yet. There’s more to this situation, things are a million times more complicated right now. So because of that...” she gulped and prepared herself for another onslaught, “I can’t tell you where he is.”

 

“Oh fuck this!” Raph burst out and shoved at Donnie until the genius stumbled out of the booth and Raph was towering over everyone else, his face dark with a storm of anger that they hadn’t seen in years, “If Fearless gets the balls to come talk to me you tell him he can go shove it cause I don’t give a damn!” He hollered as he slammed a twenty down on the table, shoved his fists into his pockets and stormed out of the restaurant. Casey awkwardly scrambled after him, the door slamming hard behind the two of them as they disappeared into the night.

 

Donnie almost collapsed into his seat, his face blank with shock as he examined his hands like they would yield some explanation. When they remained silent, he turned his gaze back up to the woman he loved. April felt tears springing into her eyes as Donnie stared blankly at her, almost as if he didn’t recognize her.

 

“Why…why didn’t you tell us…tell me?” He finally asked in a heartbroken voice that made April’s heart crack in her chest.

 

“I’m so sorry Donnie. Leo asked me not to tell you guys yet and he’s my big brother and I was just so happy to have him back. I just… I’m sorry.” She rambled helplessly, a few tears escaping her eyes and rolling down her cheeks. Instead of the understanding she had been hoping for, Donnie stiffened up in fury and his chocolate eyes took on a coldness that she had never seen directed at her.

 

“I’m your boyfriend April. I-I thought you loved me.” He shook slightly with the effort to keep his emotions bottled up. April felt like someone had stabbed her in the heart as she watched him pull away from her emotionally. She and Donnie never fought, their relationship had been the most stable thing in her life up until this moment.

 

“Donnie, I do love you-!” She tried but Donnie was already rifling around in his pockets for money as he practically leaped to his feet. 

 

“Obviously not enough.” Donnie sent the final barb at her heart, shattering it in her chest as he hurried out the door and away from her. The tears were now flowing freely from her eyes and she slowly stood as if moving in a daze. She stood there, Mikey still curled up in the seat behind her, debating whether or not to go after Donnie.

 

The decision was made for her when a hand landed on her shoulder and she spun around to find the only person who was crying more than her. Poor Mikey’s cheeks were bright red, his eyes bloodshot from the salty tears. It made the pieces of her broken heart hurt even more, to see her younger brother so upset by her hand. Uncharacteristically, Mikey seemed the most understanding as he gave her a brief hug, some money for the pizza and then wordlessly followed his brother’s example and left.

 

It all happened so fast that for a moment April wasn’t sure how she got to the point where she was standing in the middle of their sacred pizza parlor, tears swarming her cheeks, alone. She had been trying to repair her family but somehow it had ended up more broken than it was before. Now the brothers were scattered to their separate lives and she was stuck in the middle unable to really talk to any of them. Raph hated her, she had broken Donnie’s heart, Mikey was too upset to even speak, and Leo was shutting himself away. For the first time in a long time, she wished that Splinter was here to fix the mess that their family had become, but he wasn’t, there was only her. April quickly wiped the tears from her eyes, fished out money to finish paying the bill and then trudged out of the warm pizzeria and into the cold night.

 

For the first time in her life, she didn’t know what to do, she didn’t have an angle to pursue or a hunch to follow. All she could do was hope that things would work themselves out for the better, that things were just getting worse before they got better. The festering wound that was the brothers’ relationship needed to be reopened before it could heal and hopefully, the pain of this night would propel them forward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm not trying to hate on Casey, he's trying to be a good friend and follow Raph's example on the conversation but he's too dumb to be quiet. There's a lot of misunderstandings here but I still love that big-muscled idiot. Also, these boys are giant drama queens soooooo yeah.


	5. The Missing Piece

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go again. I rambled a little on some emotions but these boys got lots so can you really blame me?

As the late afternoon sun streamed through the window Leo sat as still as stone on the floor of April's living room, trying desperately to sink into a meditative trance. He had only been a father for five days and already he was wondering how Master Splinter managed to raise four boys when he was still struggling with two girls. There was something comforting about being a father, as if it was the part of himself he never knew that he was capable of. His entire life he had trained to be a crime-fighting ninja with his brothers and his young mind had quickly latched onto the idea that he would be a ninja for the rest of his life. Nothing more, nothing less. He had been lost after Splinter's death and once again ninjutsu saved him in the form of his birth father's ninja clan in Japan. And yet, he was unknowingly unfulfilled. Then two gifts came along and suddenly he was renewed with a new purpose, one much more fulfilling that his own skill or success as a ninja. Once again he was taking care of those who needed him, he was raising his daughters. He had never really thought about it before, but as much as Splinter raised the four boys, Leo had also raised his brothers. Being the eldest came with a responsibility to his family that he had dove into, poured his soul into, and when they outgrew him, he was adrift. Those two innocent souls didn't know it, but they anchored him in ways that he had never been before. They made him want to create a home, to be the best that he could be for them.

 

As much as it soothed him to once again fill the role of caretaker and father, his first week as a father had been tumultuous at best. For the first time in his life, Leo was resentful towards his dangerous life as a ninja as it had put those precious little beings at risk. It was confusing to resent the thing that had been your entire life for twenty-six years. In addition to the danger that loomed over their heads, Leo felt lacking in his fatherly training. He knew how to change a diaper and had figured out the bottle really fast, but there were still moments where he looked down at his daughters and experienced a paralyzing fear that he would not only mess himself up, but also them. A perfect father would have no reason to worry.

 

These anxieties weighed him down like stones and kept his spirit tethered to the ground in his meditation. No matter how he tried he could not find a way to dispel the fears that whispered in his ear and held him back from the calm of the spirit plane. After yesterday it had become particularly more difficult to enter the spirit plane. He had spent half the day, and most of the time that April was gone for dinner, coordinating with his second in command, Miyamoto Usagi, about the establishment of a Hamato Clan base in New York. He was under no such illusions that he could protect his daughters from the Shredder by himself. Shredder has contacts spread across the globe and their discovery was inevitable, but with a proper stronghold established, their survival and eventual victory could be assured. At least, that was the plan. Usagi had been effective as always in procuring a headquarters in Manhattan and starting renovations to install security and make the building suitable for a ninja clan disguised as a corporation. After their discussions yesterday, Usagi had deemed the residential area of the structure to be secure and ready for the arrival of Leo and his little family. The practical part of Leo agreed that his daughters would be much safer in a fortified headquarters, but the sentimental part of him was reluctant to leave the warm embrace of April's familiar apartment. They had spent a good amount of their free time in this apartment, attempting to be normal teenagers for just a few moments as they absorbed themselves in video games and movie marathons. April had always been a source of normalcy for them, something that they had cherished and protected almost as much as they did April herself. Being in her apartment, if only for a few days, had made him feel almost normal. And now that normalcy was ending again as his problems resurfaced from where he had buried them for a few precious days.

 

After his call with Usagi and indulgence of his favorite pizza from Antonio's, Leo had tucked the girls into their makeshift bed and settled down to watch some TV. He was in the middle of an old detective movie when April had returned from dinner. Leo had taken one look at her and known that the night had taken a turn for the worse. Her face was tear-streaked and at the sight of him eating his favorite pizza, she had burst into fresh sobs. Leo had practically tripped over himself to get to her and quickly swept her up into his arms where she buried her face in his chest and sobbed out exactly what had happened at Antonio's. As he stroked her hair comfortingly and listened to her tale, Leo couldn't say he was surprised at his brothers' reactions. Their parting had been nothing if not emotional and stirring up those emotions was bound to bring about a rapid implosion of their group. As she cried into his chest, gripping his shirt, guilt welled up in Leo's chest, nearly choking him with its intensity.

 

It was his fault that his brothers had lashed out at April. He had been gone for too long with too little communication after the incident at Splinter's funeral for things to go smoothly. When she had cried herself out, Leo had picked her up like a small child. April had immediately wrapped her legs around waist, her arms around his neck with her cheek resting on his shoulder as he slowly made his way to her room. He was reminded suddenly of their childhood when their movie marathons would run long and April would fall asleep on the couch. As the oldest, Leo had been Kirby O'Neil's unofficial babysitter so it had been his job to get April to bed. Somehow she always got him to let her stay up late with them but when she crashed hard he would gladly carry her to her bed. Like all those years ago Leo had laid her in bed, pulled the covers up around her and given her a kiss on the forehead. Twenty-two or seven she was still his little sister and he would take care of her.

 

And so Leo had spent the majority of his free time meditating on what he should do. The danger coupled with the emotional turmoil he had already caused made him sick to his stomach and the taunting voices in his head whispered that he only ever caused more hurt to those he loved. He could feel the swirling torrent of emotions building into a panic attack and he desperately fought the onslaught coming his way. his measured meditative breaths transformed into frantic gasps for air that propelled him onto his hands and knees as if crawling towards a source of air. His heart pounded painfully in his chest and he squeezed his eyes shut so hard that he felt an ache building up in his eyeballs. Unable to resist it, Leo shakily pushed himself back into his meditative position and focused on relaxing each part of his body individually, starting with his eyelids, then his clenched fists. It felt like an hour later but Leo finally overcame the paralyzing sensation of the attack and nearly collapsed onto the floor, weakened and shaking. Tears pricked at his eyes but Leo refused to cry over anxiety and stubbornly held them back, only allowing the two tears that had already formed.

 

Almost as if possessed, Leo struggled to his feet and walked a little unsteadily towards the guest room where his daughters were sleeping peacefully. He entered the room as quietly as he could and curled up next to little blanket nest he had made for them to nap in. He laid his hand on Kameko's little belly and rubbed little circles over her onesie, letting the repetitive motion and their calming presence settle his turmoil. It worked like a charm, calming the churning storm of emotions in him until it could be pushed back into a hidden place in his mind. His shaking hand turned steady and his breathing matched the calm breaths of the little ones next to him. Leo fell into a light meditative state that had been eluding him just laying there with his sleeping children.

 

His eyes opened slowly an hour or so later to the orange-hued light of sunset and an insistent dinging from his laptop. Leo carefully pulled away from his daughters who just curled into each other and slept on. He hurried into the living room and found a foreign message window had been opened on his computer. He frowned in confusion as he did not recognize the program. As soon as he sat down the cursor moved across the screen, a message following close behind it as if somebody was typing it on his computer in real time. The sender identified himself as Yoshi and then delivered a short but devastating message.

 

My son,

 

We have been betrayed. Oroku Saki knows you have fled to New York. We keep him engaged in Tokyo, but I have received word that he is sending mercenaries after you and your family. I hope you have arrived safely with your brothers and are prepared for battle. Saki will not let you go so easily and will use everything against you, including your family.

 

Be safe.

 

Leo felt his blood turn to ice in his veins at the thought of not only the danger to his daughters but also to his brothers and April. He berated himself inwardly for his foolishness in drawing out his reunion with his brothers. How was he supposed to explain the situation to them without first having resolved the darkness that lingered between them? He had been a fool, a coward in the face of people he had hurt and who had hurt him. A leader did not back away from a challenge, and a big brother did not leave his younger siblings to fend for themselves in the face of danger. it was time to face his duty and his mistakes, and hope that his brothers would forgive his actions enough to listen to him.

 

He was reaching for his phone to call Usagi when there was a soft knocking at the door. Leo quickly got up and opened it to find the very warrior he had been about to call standing in the doorway. He was shorter and stockier than Leo with brilliant white hair that flowed longer than Leo's. Instead of a topknot his hair was pulled back by a band resembling a ponytail so that it sat high on the back of his head. With his hair pulled back, his intense grey eyes dominate his pale face. He was wearing casual clothes, but his samurai swords remained strapped at his waist in preparation for any danger they should face. Upon seeing Leo he bowed respectfully and spoke in fluent Japanese.

 

"Leonardo-san. I am glad that you are alright." He gave Leo a small but friendly smile and Leo returned the gesture, bowing less according to higher stature compared to Usagi. He let the man into April's apartment and showed him into the living room.

 

"As am I my friend. But I have grave news from my father. Oroku Saki knows of my whereabouts and has sent mercenaries to kill me and my family." Leo watched his loyal friend's body tense up at his words and couldn't help the stab of brotherly affection that he felt. Usagi could be serious and distant at times, but he cared deeply and respected the principles of honor followed by the Hamato clan. They had met early on in Leo's time in Japan when he was running some initial patrols of the city with the clan. The Foot had ambushed Usagi in an alley and thought he was badly wounded he fought with a stubborn vigor that had sent a painful pang of recognition through Leo's heart. In a split second decision Leo had joined the fray and defeated the ninja, essentially saving Usagi's life. Usagi had immediately fallen to his knees and pledged on his honor as a samurai that he would protect and serve Leo until his life debt was paid. Leo had tried to protest, but Usagi felt deeply that his honor depended on his repayment of Leo's actions. Eventually, Leo accepted his claim and had him escorted to the Hamato headquarters where he joined the ranks of their warriors, always somewhere nearby Leo. Though Usagi had initially been a tough nut to crack, Leo had broken through his hard shell eventually and the two became good friends. Usagi had been the support that a broken Leo desperately needed and was one of the people who helped him rebuild himself in the wake of Splinter's death.

 

"We must leave at once. You are not safe here." Usagi demanded immediately, and Leo sighed a little at his over-protectiveness. This must have been how his family had felt every time he acted the same way. His own common sense was telling him to leave as soon as possible, but Leo pushed aside his self-preservation in a familiar move and decided to wait for April. She had run out earlier to get groceries, including more baby supplies that he had run out of. Recalling her stubborn streak, Leo only hoped that he could convince her to come with him.

 

"No. My family is in danger. I must wait for April O'Neil. Then we must collect my brothers." Leo saw the moment Usagi's eyes hardened and he stood stiff as a board in front of Leo, rebellion burning in his eyes. While he was Leo's superior and it was his duty to follow him, his honor dictated that his first responsibility was to protect Leo, despite his orders if need be.

 

"But-!"

 

"Jubundesu! We wait." He emphasized each word in English to show his seriousness. Usagi crossed his arms in annoyance but nodded to show that he understood Leo. 

 

Satisfied that Usagi was pacified for the moment, Leo silently went into his room and began packing his suitcases with a quiet efficiency that was careful not to wake his daughters. They had shifted again while he was talking to Usagi. Kameko was now a little more spread out on top of her sister while Hoshiko remained curled in a happy little ball, snoring away. Leo felt his heart soften a little at the imperfect yet adorable picture the two of them made. For a moment he wondered how all of this travelling and bouncing from home to home was affecting them, but dismissed his worry for another time. So far they hadn't seemed too affected by all of the travel. He heard the front door open as he was zipping up his suitcases, but paid it no mind, assuming that it was April. He lingered in the room for a moment before deciding that now was as good a time as any to talk with April.

 

"Who are you? What are you doing here?!" He heard Usagi demand and his brow furrowed in confusion. Usagi knew what April looked like, Leo had described her to him. So who was he yelling at?

 

"Wait... what? Ah!" A familiar voice replied and there was an obvious thump as the intruding body was tackled to the ground. Leo quickly grabbed one of his katana from the closet and rushed out into the living room where an obvious fight was taking place. Usagi yelled in anger as whoever he was attacking ducked into the kitchen after landing a solid kick to his chest, sending him flying into the entryway to the apartment. Usagi launched himself back into the kitchen speedily and there were a few more thumps and crashes. Leo slowly approached the kitchen, his katana raised and ready to aid Usagi should he need it.

 

"Please just wait I-" Usagi and his prey came barreling out of the kitchen, Usagi's hand on the man's throat despite the considerable height advantage the intruder possessed. Just as Usagi raised his blade to strike at the intruder's neck, a lightning bolt of recognition scorched through Leo's mind as he realized that the tall, lanky man staring fearfully at Usagi's raised sword... was his brother.

 

"Donnie?!"

* * *

 

Michelangelo let out another exaggerated groan, flopping around in the passenger seat of Donnie's VW bus. They had been sitting outside of April's building for a lifetime and it was officially the most boring stakeout ever. Mikey glanced over at Donnie to see if he had reacted to Mikey's attempt at communicating his boredom but his brother was still sitting there like a statue, gripping the steering wheel so hard that his fingers were turning white, and staring almost unblinkingly up at April's window. Mikey glanced longingly at the radio which was permanently set to Donnie's classical station. He could literally feel the music melting his brain, and not in a good way. He also knew that if he tried to change the channel, all he would receive for his trouble would be a slap to the hand. He went back to watching their surroundings and was disappointed by the sheer normalcy that was April's street. For a minute he thought the white haired guy with the ponytail might be interesting but he was just as boring, if not more boring than the other people on the street. Mikey quickly lost sight of him as his short attention span demanded something new and he found himself actually humming along to the wordless melody of the song. The realization that he was humming along to classical music stopped him short and he jerked away from the radio like it had burned him. This could not go on any longer!

 

"Yo Dee." He tried but received no response from his brainy brother, his gaze still glued to the window, "Bro this ain't Rapunzel. She's not gonna appear in the window so you can climb her hair and live happily ever after or whatever."

 

That earned him a frustrated sigh from Donnie, which wasn't much, but at least it was something other than silence, "We've been here for like forever! Just go do what you need to do dude."

 

He tried again but received no response other than Donnie tightening his grip on the steering wheel. Mikey looked around the street, suddenly getting a devious idea that made him grin in that maniacal way that villains in comics did. If he needed to be the villain instead of the sidekick for a little bit so his bro would get off his butt and be a hero, he was gonna do it. He leaned back in his chair casually, making sure to lean out of Donnie's immediate surprise slapping range.

 

"Oh look here comes April." He said as casually as he could, not entirely concealing the glee in his voice. Donnie immediately let out an undignified squeak and tried to fold his lanky form out of view as if ducking down could possibly hide all of him. Mikey desperately held back his laughter, practically biting into his lips and snorting quietly out of his nose. Donnie slowly rose his head up, his glasses slightly askew from the sudden movement, his chocolate- brown eyes scanning the street for any sign of the woman he both loved and feared. When he came up empty he turned to glare venomously at Mikey who finally released his loud laughter. Donnie shrunk slightly under the teasing, his whole face going red and his shoulders practically rising to his ears in an effort to hide.

 

"I'm sorry bro. I couldn't help it. You were a zombie for like an hour and I'm soooo booooored." He emphasized his words by flopping all over Donnie who immediately shrugged him of so that he was instead draped over the center console.

 

"Well I'm sorry me repairing my relationship is so boring for you." Donnie bit back sarcastically before slumping further into his seat, this time despondently rather than to avoid attention. He fingered the keys pensively before turning them in the ignition so that the van roared to life.

 

"This was a bad idea anyways, let's just go home." Before Donnie could even put the van in drive Mikey reached over and like lightning the engine was silent and the keys jangled slightly in Mikey's pocket.

 

"Hey!" Donnie tried to protest but Mikey just reached into the back of the van and seemingly produced a bouquet of flowers out of nowhere. He quickly shoved them into Donnie's arms and fixed his older brother with a surprisingly serious look.

 

"Don. You totally screwed up last night dude, that's beyond true. You hurt April. But you can't just give up and let her waltz right out of your life bro! Where else are you gonna find a pretty, smart, funny girl who knows everything abut you but loves you anyway? Nowhere! You and April are like totally soulmates." Donnie gazed up at Mikey in absolute incredulity as his goofy younger brother delivered a surprisingly motivating speech for someone who still watched cartoons and couldn't go a sentence without saying dude or bro.

 

"So you're gonna go up there and beg her forgiveness dude. Not just for you but also for all of us. Cause like she's our only connection to Leo and I'm not gonna let your big brain think you out of this. Now go! And bring me back a snack when you're done I'm like wasting away in here." Donnie smirked as the solemn atmosphere faded slightly under Mikey's demand for a snack, despite his youngest brother's attempt at a serious expression. When his comment was punctuated by a loud rumbling from his stomach, Mikey tried not to blush while Donnie let out a little laugh.

 

It was oddly comforting that Mikey still couldn't stay entirely serious and suddenly he was much more at ease with the situation he faced. As confidently as one who was begging for forgiveness could be, Donnie stepped out of the van. Before he moved though, he realized that there was one more unexplained thing about what had just happened in his van.

 

"Wait Mikey, where did you get flowers?" he asked through the open window and Mikey just rolled his eyes as if Donnie had asked him something glaringly obvious like what color the sky was.

 

"Dude. If movies taught me anything its that you never apologize to a girl without flowers. Duh." Mikey pursed his lips slightly and shook his head like a disappointed mother. Donnie just laughed and made a rare note in his head that Mikey had said something useful. This sure was turning out to be a bizarre day. 

 

He made it all the way to the front door of April's building before his nerves crashed into him again and he found himself gripping the bouquet with a death grip. Donnie quickly glanced back at the van where Mikey was watching him. His younger brother gave him an enthusiastic thumbs up which gave him just enough confidence to open the door with his key and slip inside the building. Mikey watched him go with a fond look then settled back in his seat and whipped out his phone. in seconds he was absorbed in his latest app obsession: a cooking game that he was easily sucked into, especially when he was hungry.

 

A few minutes passed that consisted of him tapping frantically at his phone screen in an attempt to meet the serving goals for each level. He was so absorbed in the little game he forgot where he was and why he was waiting in Donnie's van. The sounds of the day faded away until all he heard was the vaguely taunting music of the app as it encourage him to tray again after he failed the hard level for the millionth time. Grumpily he shut down the app and looked up to see if Donnie had reappeared yet. It had only been a couple of minutes since Donnie had gone in, but Mikey coudn't help but feel hopeful that he had yet to come back to the van in disgrace. it really was better for their little family when April was happy and Donnie made her happy, ergo it was essential that he succeed in his mission to get forgiveness. It still made Mikey uncomfortable to think back to last night and his chest ached with the knowledge that Leo had come back to New York and still hadn't come to find them. He understood that his brother was probably still upset about Splinter's funeral and what had happened there, they all were, but it didn't make it hurt any less. He had always been the most hopeful out of all of them that Leo would come back to them and they could be one big happy family again, but after the year mark when everyone else began to give up on Leo's return, his own hope had become a life preserver he was desperately clinging to in a sea of emotions. It was hard being the happy go lucky brother in the middle of an emotional family mess, but he refused to let them fall apart completely and had done everything in his power to keep them together. He wanted Leo to come back to a family, not a bunch of scattered adopted brothers with separate lives. Of course, he never let the others see how much everything affected him because they needed his smiles not his tears. The only place that he let those emotions free was in his art.

 

When Leo left, Mikey had been slated to enter a prestigious art school on the other side of the country. Upon his eldest bother's disappearance he had transferred to a local school to be close to his family. At first he had struggled to find depth in his art, only able to produce surface projects that seemed to reflect his forced sunny disposition. But as time passed and he learned to express himself in the safe place of the art studio, his pieces shifted to focus on the darkness that surrounded his family and the disappearance of his brother. It was only a week ago that he had finished his most impressive and emotional piece, "Missing Piece". His teacher had loved it so much that she had nominated it to be displayed in the school art show, an honor that was usually reserved for upperclassmen. He was going to tell everyone at dinner when April had unceremoniously upended their worlds.

 

The sound familiar frustrated cursing brought Mikey out of the dangerous place that was his innermost thoughts. To his surprise, April was on the curb in front of her building, struggling to properly grip the heavy grocery bags cradled in her arms. Mikey quickly leaped out of the van, barely remembering to lock the vehicle as he ran full steam towards April.

 

"April!" He called happily and she looked up from her struggled with pure shock on her face. The surprise must have loosened her grip as one of the large paper bags chose that moment to take a dive towards the sidewalk. Instincts that still surfaced from time to time took over and Mikey moved so quickly to catch the bag that in the blink of an eye is was safe in his arms and he was grinning down at the surprised red-head.

 

"M-Mikey? What are you doing here?" she finally blurted out as Mikey plucked another bag from her grip, effectively leaving her with the single lightest bag of the three. It also happened to be the one filled with diapers and formula, a fact that Mikey had failed to notice at that point. 

 

"What no thank you for your savior?" Mikey joked and pulled his cutest of puppy dog faces. He felt happiness dance through him when she let out a genuine laugh and gave him a little smile.

 

"Thanks for the help Mikey," She glanced up towards her apartment and then back to the van parked in front of her building. How could she have missed it? It was the van they had all driven at one time, Splinter's gift to Donnie when he had turned 16. It was still a little beat up but the distinctive yellow and green color scheme was unmistakable. 

 

"What's up Mikey, why are you here?" Her eyes narrowed suspiciously and Mikey immediately began to laugh nervously, filled with a familiar feeling of being caught doing something he wasn't supposed to.

 

"Well Dee and I came over so he could apologize for what happened last night-" The beginnings of his long-winded explanation was cut off when April's entire bod turned to stone and her eyes got that frantic, nervous look. Mikey followed her over to the front door, confused by her sudden change in mood and the urgency with which she moved. She struggled with the lock for a second before hurrying inside the building. Mikey actually had to work to keep up with her as she jumped up the stairs two steps at a time.

 

"Yo April! What's the hurry dude? Wait up!" He bounded up the stairs agilely and as they reached the hall of her building, loud thumping and crashing noises could suddenly be heard through the walls. It was as if a brawl was taking place in someone's apartment. April took off running towards her front door and though he followed, Mikey was intensely confused. Why was April so worried all of the sudden? Unless the fight was coming from her apartment. With the realization that the noises probably spelled danger for Donnie, Mikey sped up to where April had pushed the door open and was gaping in horror at the state of her apartment and the noises coming from within it. They both jerked back physically when Donnie and his assailant came crashing out of the kitchen and into the living room. 

 

Donnie's back hit the wall with a resounding thud, the plaster cracking slightly under the intense impact. The white haired man from before came flying out of the kitchen, a cold fury on his face as he grasped Donnie's neck and held him against the wall as he raised his sword to deliver a final blow. Donnie struggled for a second before his eyes were caught by the glint of the blade as it rose into the air, the arc of the strike set to end at his head. He stared on in horror and for a second everything seemed to slow down as Mikey fought against the paralyzing fear that froze his entire body. Mikey's entire brain was screaming for him to jump in, to save his brother, as he watched the sword slowly descend towards a terrified Donnie. He opened his mouth to say something, anything, as if his words could stop whatever was happening, but his voice seemed frozen as well.

 

Next to him April took the barest step forward, her scream echoing out where his could not, pure fear in her eyes. The warrior didn't even flinch as he brought the blade down faster. Time sped up to normal again as a man suddenly stepped between Donnie and his attacker.

 

The clang of metal on metal rang painfully through the air as Leo swiftly blocked Usagi's deadly strike with his own katana, his blue eyes blazing with fury that his friend could so blatantly attack an unarmed man, even in the name of protecting him. Usagi's grey eyes were now wide with shock rather than narrowed with anger as he realized that Leo was protecting the man he had assumed was an intruder. In the blink of an eye Leo knocked loose Usagi's grip on his sword and sent it flying to clatter on the tile floor of the kitchen. In that same moment, Leo's leg shot out and knocked Usagi's feet out from under him so that he fell to his knees in front of Leo. Usagi barely caught himself from falling forward and looked up in shock and remorse up at his furious friend. Instead he found himself face to face with the sharpened tip of Leo's sword, which was just barely pressed into the flesh of his forehead. Gone was the calm that usually exuded from Leonardo, and in its place he radiated pure fury. His brilliant blue eyes were sharp as daggers, letting Usagi know that he had made a grave mistake in attacking this unknown man.

 

" _You disgrace yourself by attacking an unarmed man Usagi."_ Leo practically spat the rebuke out and if possible, his voice became harsher and his face more furious. Usagi had never seen such anger from his friend and his heart sunk down to his feet to see it directed towards him. There were very few people that he would let hold him at sword point on his hands and knees but he remained in the degrading position, accepting his fate as Leo decided it.

 

" _You dishonor my family by attacking my brother!"_ Leonardo practically roared out and Usagi slumped in horror as he realized that he had attacked a member of the Hamato family.

 

_"Leonardo. My friend. Please forgive me. I was just trying to-"_ Usagi tried to placate him, his voice soft but desperate to make amends. Leonardo was unmoved and cut him off before he could try to explain his actions.

 

_"You will return to headquarters and prepare it for our arrival. We will discuss this another time."_

 

_"But Leonardo! Your safety is-"_ he protested weakly but Leo pressed the tip of the blade harder into his forehead, prompting a drop of blood to roll down his pale face.

 

"I can take care of myself." Leo switched suddenly to English and withdrew his katana from its threatening position. Usagi scrambled to his feet and bowed deeply to a stone-faced Leo. He bowed slightly higher to Donatello before hurrying to grab his sword from the kitchen floor. Once it was once again sheathed at his side he made his way to the door where a stunned April and Mikey watched him bow and then disappear down the stairs. The moment Usagi was gone Leo let out a sigh and stepped away from Donnie so that he could look both him and the two in the door over for injuries. When he found nothing significant, Leo sheathed his katana and set it so that it was propped up against the couch.

 

The apartment was eerily silent and Leo's discomfort began to rise when the other three just stared incredulously at him rather than saying anything. This was definitely not how he had pictured his reunion with his brothers but there was no taking it back so now he was stuck here in April's torn up apartment, struggling to find the words that could express how unbelievably happy he was to see his brothers after all this time, even when he wasn't sure how they felt about seeing him. The silence held for another few minutes until Leo couldn't stand it any longer and opened his mouth to say the first thing that popped into his head.

 

"Hi?" his voice seemed to break everyone out of their trance and before he could draw another breath Donnie was sweeping him up into a hug that was so tight his ribs protested. Leo had been expecting many different reactions ranging from tears to screaming, but the hug threw him so of kilter that he could do nothing but stare at the spot where Donnie had buried his face in Leo's neck to hide the tears streaming down to dampen Leo's skin. He had barely put an arm around Donnie's torso to return the hug when the speeding orange bullet that was his baby brother ran towards them with the biggest grin he had ever seen.

 

"Leo Leo Leo Leo Leo LEO!" Mikey suddenly launched himself into the air and came down hard on Leo and Donnie, sending them to the floor where they remained in a tight hug. Mikey joined the almost punishing embrace and Leo did his best to untangle an arm so that he could hold his exuberant baby brother close. Before he realized it, Leo's cheeks were covered with streams of tears as the emotions of seeing his brothers again after two years of silence overwhelmed him. For that moment he let himself forget about everything that had happened in those two years, all of the danger of the present, and let himself fall into their embrace. Leo squeezed them back and for the first time in years an large, genuine, smile spread across his face. 

 

Leo was finally back where he belonged. He was home in their embrace.


	6. The Reason

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I've found a reason for me  
> To change who I used to be  
> A reason to start over new  
> And the reason is you

Trapped in the tightest hug of his life, Leonardo laid on the floor of April’s apartment and tried desperately to savor the initial joy of his reunion with his youngest brothers. Despite their tight embrace and the tears that were staining his shirt, Leo knew that the all-encompassing relief of simply being together again wouldn’t last forever. The events leading up to the massive schism in their family were too charged with lingering pain and unresolved emotion for the pieces of their family to smoothly fit together again. Even though he was pressed up against Donnie and Mikey his katra still felt as far away from them as he had been while living in Japan. His scarred heart beat painfully in his chest, aching anew as if every wound was suddenly open and raw once more. Leo had been running for so long that he had learned to ignore the pain, to push it down into a deep dark place inside him, instead of letting it bleed and heal. Confronting the very people who he had been running from yanked those emotions back into the light and created a confusing maelstrom inside of him. His hold on his brothers grew near punishing in its intensity as if holding them tighter would bring back the elation of seeing his family again and sort out the mess that was his katra. Tears that burned with fury and hurt seared their way down his cheeks, mixing with the tears of relief that had stained his face mere moments before. This wasn’t how he was supposed to feel when he finally got his family back, he was supposed to be happy, not torn in two by a pain he had buried long ago. What was wrong with him that as he held his baby brothers all he could think about was how much it hurt? He was supposed to be happy, why wasn’t he happy?

 

Before his thoughts could dive down the rabbit hole of all of his flaws, Leo drew himself back into reality with a deep breath, grasping for anything that would ground him back in the moment and pull him out of his head. 

 

His nose was filled with the scent of whatever fruity kids shampoo Mikey was using, most likely something related to Justice Force or whatever cartoons he was obsessed with these days. Leo immediately latched onto that sensation, but instead of being comforting, the scent only spurred on the voice in his head. Suddenly he was overwhelmed with the reminder that he didn’t even know Mikey’s current cartoon obsession, that it had been two years since he had even heard his little brother’s voice. In fact, the last time he had heard Mikey’s voice is was smothered with tears and desperation rather than bouncing with his usual exuberant energy. Leo struggled to remember the bright energy that was Michelangelo’s essence but couldn’t escape the sadness that cast a shadow upon it. His youngest brother had always been Leo's perfect foil, bringing him out of his brooding and allowing him to let go of his seriousness, even if only for a second. But now, Leo could only think of how he had turned away from that light, choosing instead the darkness of his mind.

     

Leo jerked his head away from his little brother’s curly blonde locks and his senses switched focus to the dark-skinned hand that was gripping his shirt with an unrelenting hold. Callouses and scars littered Donnie’s hands from his various projects over the years, all of them distinctive and attached to memories of countless failures on the road to success. They ranged from the thin lines of small cuts to the knotted burns that shone in the light and brought back memories of times when his little brother had come to him for comfort after a technical meltdown or even just to bounce theories off of. Leo had never really had the same level of technical skill as his younger brother, truthfully he had no technical ability at all, but somehow he had been a perfect sounding board for Donatello when his mind was tangled in the knots of his genius ideas. Donnie had a habit of overthinking things and more often than not it was Leo’s job to bring him back from the brink and on the path to a solution. With a painful twinge in his heart that only seemed to grow with each second he spent with his brothers, Leo realized that he was completely ignorant of what Donnie was doing with his genius brain. The hands that were gripping his shirt with such emotion were foreign to him in the same way that Mikey’s curly locks were. Donnie had new scars, scars with stories that Leo did not know. 

 

Upon reaching the realization that all of his attempts to escape reality had actually only served to remind him of the pain of his situation, Leo grudgingly allowed the world around him to come into focus once more. It was time to give up his fantasy of perfection and face the broken mess that was his life and by extension his relationship with the familiar strangers hugging him. With one last jab, his vindictive conscience got it one last shot as Leo realized that he was equally as foreign to his brothers, if not more so. The moment he had stepped on a plane to Japan he had been keeping secrets from his brothers and they just seemed to stack up behind the walls that he had shoved them behind. So far the rationale that he was keeping his family safe by not telling them about the Hamato ninja clan and his rise in the ranks, his true father, and most of all the vengeful warlord set on destroying everything dear to him.

 

But two secrets refused to remain hidden one more moment as the relative quiet of their reunion was broken by familiar frantic cries. The loud reminder of his precious daughters effectively banished the darkness of Leo's emotions as his entire being shifted focus onto the two little beings desperately calling for him. As gently as he could in his haste, Leo extracted himself from his brothers’ tight embrace and scrambled to his feet, ready to rush into his room where his daughters were sobbing out for him. Before he could take more than a few steps, April emerged from the room with both girls carefully cradled in her arms. Kameko’s face was bright red with the force of her sobs and she was wriggling in April’s arms as if determined to escape and find the comfort of her father’s arms herself. Hoshiko was sobbing just as hard as her sister, her grey eyes sweeping the room for Leo, unable to discern her father’s form from the other blobs of color muddled by her tears. With uncanny accuracy that could only come from inheriting her father’s strong ninja sense, she suddenly looked directly at him and cried harder, reaching one pitiful little hand towards him. She might as well have yanked Leo over by his heartstrings as he practically sprinted to April’s side and gingerly gathered his daughters into his arms, bouncing slightly as he tried to soothe their cries. It was a strange day indeed when he could soothe children he had literally been parenting for less than a week without blinking an eye but a group hug with his brothers sent his descending into self-doubt and the darkness of his heart.

 

* * *

 

Donnie and Mikey watched with wide eyes as April emerged from the bedroom with two young babies and Leo rushed over to help her. Leo’s sudden departure from their embrace left them sprawled awkwardly on the floor and confused as to what exactly they were looking at. Two babies, crying like their lives depended on it were cradled in April’s arms and their older brother was making a beeline towards them with a determination that was usually reserved for one his brothers when they were injured.

 

Donnie was gaping in absolute shock as his gaze darted from his girlfriend, who had definitely not been pregnant ever, to his brother, to the sobbing little girls in his arms. His genius mind raced through his memories of April the past few months, combining them with his observations of the two little girls. His memories confirmed that at no time in their relationship had April been pregnant, and combined with the fact that the babies were obviously of Japanese descent with not even a hint of April’s features in theirs, Donnie concluded that the babies were not April's. A large part of him sighed in relief that he was not yet a father, but a smaller voice in his head mourned his almost parenthood. Donnie quickly pushed that part of him deep down where he could examine it later after many many glasses of wine and focused back in on his little brother, who was also watching the scene in front of them, but with a blatant expression of confusion and awe.

 

“Dude… when did April have twins?” He finally breathed out, turning to Donnie with an expectant look. Donnie immediately turned bright red and sputtered out every response that raced through his mind until he realized that he was making absolutely no sense, even to Mikey. He took a calming breath and summoned what little patience he had left after his already extremely trying day and prepared himself to explain what he had already hypothesized.

 

“April was never pregnant doofus. We would have noticed.” So much for calm and gentle, he chided himself on the insult born out of frustration, but Mikey barely seemed to notice as he obviously puzzled over whatever thoughts were tangled up in his indecipherably odd mind.

 

“Well, it could be like that one TV show where girls have babies and don't even know they were pregnant cause they never got big.” He finally countered and Donnie’s despair fell to new lows upon the realization that Mikey considered a reality TV show as concrete evidence that his girlfriend had been pregnant and he had never noticed.

 

“That show documents very rare cases Mikey. I highly doubt that April is among the statistically small proportion of women whose pregnancies do not display typical markers.” But Donnie’s logic was apparently no match for the absolute truth of TV according to Michelangelo.

 

“There were enough cases that the show has four seasons,” Mikey said smugly and nodded to himself as if that closed the matter. Donnie felt like his head might pop from the pressure of holding in the positively acerbic response that so desperately wanted to jump from his lips. The stress of the past few days was doing him no favors in controlling his level of sarcasm.

 

“Those are not April’s children!” Donnie hissed in his frustration but Mike remained stubborn in his opinion, obviously confident in the ‘evidence’ that he had presented.

 

“Oh yeah? Well then whose are they genius?” Mikey shot back, his baby blues glittering with triumph in such a way that made Donnie want to crush his outlandish fantasies all the more.

 

“Obviously they're Leo’s.” Donnie offered up in rebuttal, his eyes glinting with victory behind the large frames of his glasses. However, Mikey was not to be swayed, and immediately snorted in disbelief as he considered the idea. Donnie looked at him in pitying incredulity as he wondered to himself if he was the only one who had noticed the Japanese features of the girls or the fact that they were currently cuddled up to Leo and not April in a time of distress.

 

“Bro, dudes can’t get pregnant.” Mikey eyed Donnie like he was the crazy one, when in fact Mikey was the one who thought that he meant that Leo himself has given birth to the girls. He opened his mouth to deliver a scathing rebuttal, fun family conversation be damned, when the crying suddenly stopped and they both looked up to find Leo standing over them with a baby cradled in each arm and a nervously eager look on his face. Donnie filed the discussion in his brain under the bursting file that was ’Things to Explain to Mikey’ and waited for his eldest brother to say the words that were fighting to escape him.

 

“Guys…. this is Kameko and Hoshiko…my daughters.” Anyone who hadn’t spent their entire lives with Leo would have seen his sudden change to an impassive expression as a lack of emotion, but his brothers quickly deciphered it for the sign that it was. Their brother was nervous enough to try to hide it from them, just like every other strong emotion that their emotionally constipated leader felt (or didn’t feel according to Leo). A familiar frustration towards his brother’s tendency to conceal his emotions rushed through Donnie for half a second before his brain finally seemed to catch up with the fact that his eldest brother, who had been missing for two years, had twin daughters. His jaw fell slack with such force that his cheeks twinged slightly and his chocolate gaze grew wider than it had been when Usagi’s sword had been about to decapitate him. Of everyone in their family, Donnie had never really been able to picture what Leo’s future would look like after their vigilante years came to an end. Leo had been so invested in being the leader of their small ninja clan that he almost seemed frozen in place, unable to change and grow like the rest of them. It was one of the contributing factors to the disaster that had torn them apart in the first place and had been a constant point of contention among the family as they grew up.

 

The man who stood in front of him now, cradling two babies and pleading with his eyes for his family’s acceptance of the infants was monumentally different and still the same in all of the important ways. Of course, Leo's looks had changed slightly with the addition of new scars, a new hairstyle and the hint of a tattoo peeking out from his loose collar. More important was the way that Donnie could see in Leo’s eyes that his life’s focus had shifted to encompass those little girls in order for him to become… a father. Though unexpected, the role of a father fit Leo perfectly and had obviously done wonders for his disposition after Splinter’s passing. There was a new acceptance in his eyes and a softness to his gaze that had always been that of a hardened warrior. It may not have been exactly what he pictured, but this change had always been what Donnie had wanted for Leo: a future. A part of his heart that had worried away for years and years took a deep breath and let the fear go, satisfied with the evolution his brother had found.

 

While Donnie remained absorbed in his thoughts, gaping mindlessly at the fussy babies, Mikey recovered from the surprise in milliseconds. He moved so quickly he practically teleported to Leo’s side where he proceeded to hang on his brother and coo nonsense at his nieces.

 

“Awww look at those adorable little pizza rolls. I could just cover you in mayo and fudge sauce and eat you right up.” Mikey gave the little girls his most charming grin while Leo looked at him with a mix of fondness and disgust. It was probably too much to ask that Mikey grow out of his odd pizza choices like the rest of them had. Mikey would always have the tastebuds of a crave-driven pregnant woman.

 

Kameko looked up at the dopey grin with narrowed eyes, almost perfectly imitating her father’s suspicious gaze. Rather than intimidate her uncle, she just managed to enrapture him further as his eyes widened at the same rate that hers narrowed. Mikey practically melted into Leo and his hand slowly reached out to tickle Hoshiko’s belly in an attempt to draw her out of her father’s shirt, where she had buried her face. Before he could touch her, his finger was captured by a chubby fist and shaken angrily. Kameko let out a gurgling growl noise that was an obvious yet adorable warning to the sunny man that her sister was off-limits. Mikey quickly held up his free hand and leaned back as if under arrest.

 

“Yo dudette. I totally come in peace.” he tried to placate her and brought her little fist, which still held his finger captive, to his lips so he could bestow a little kiss. At the affectionate gesture, Kameko yanked her hand and his finger into her mouth where she proceeded to gift him with a slobber-covered digit rather than a kiss. Mikey, unfazed by the drool, began to coo pizza-themed nonsense at her again until she released his finger long enough to let out a happy squeal accompanied by baby blues that practically shone with joy. Like many before her, Kameko had succumbed to Mikey’s charms and was swept up in the joy that practically exuded from him at that moment.

 

Deciding that it was safe now that he had made peace with the protector, Mikey reached over and lightly tickled Hoshiko’s belly until she revealed her sweet face and wary dark grey gaze. Mikey took the opportunity presented by her curiosity and tickled up her belly into the folds of her neck which caused her to squeal in surprise and tense up to try to stop his fingers. Despite her little struggles to get away from his devious fingers, her eyes now shone with happiness and her squeals had transformed into happy little gurgles that almost resembled laughter.

 

And just like that Mikey fell in love with the girls and vice versa.

 

Mikey looked up at his brother, savoring the rare soft look that now dominated those electric blue eyes, and promptly declared, “I love them. Can we keep them?”

 

Leo startled slightly as his kid brother’s question as if the babies were stray animals that he had pulled out of the rain. He shook his head in disbelief and readjusted his hold on the active babies so that they were more secure in his arms. Without looking at his brother he answered his question.

 

“Of course Mikey. They’re part of this family now.” Mikey cheered loudly and tore himself away from the precious girls to sweep a recovering Donnie into his arms for another bone-crushing hug that made him splutter and fully come back to himself. Before Donnie could reprimand him, Mikey danced away to where April had been watching the scene with a happy, tear-filled gaze. He picked her up in his whirlwind of joy and spun her around, much to her surprise. Donnie watched the scene and was filled by an odd happiness that had bittersweet edges to it. The part of his heart that wanted to hold onto the pain demanded to know why his girlfriend had kept yet another momentous secret from him but, unlike that night at the pizza parlor, Donnie successfully tamped down the anger that welled up inside him. He recalled her attempts at an explanation in the face of their tumultuous emotions and he decided that she was right when she had said that things were much more complicated now. The brothers had always been known for their strong emotions and a scene like they had caused that night would have been disastrous for his new nieces as well as their relationship with Leo. The logical part of him understood and sympathized with April, but the tangled ball of emotions that had become larger and more knotted over the years still fought for control. When anger didn’t work, the turmoil threw a new emotion at him. Guilt.

 

April caught his gaze in that moment and though she shot him a small smile, her beautiful green eyes were clouded with wariness as if she knew what he was thinking, which she probably did, and was waiting for another violent outburst. Those eyes had made him weak in various ways throughout their relationship, but at that moment he felt what it was like to have his loved one fear him. It chilled Donnie to the bone and his mouth grew dry as the desert as he realized the precarious position they were now in. He knew that he should have apologized already like he had been planning to before he was nearly killed by an overly aggressive albino. He didn’t like being the ticking time bomb whose explosions April was bracing for. These two warring emotions decided to duke it out in his heart instead of his head, an altogether foreign territory for Donnie that he had never been able to control. His mind was ordered, controlled, and safe but his heart was vulnerable and chaotic and scary. From the very moment that it had suffered its first blow, Donnie had known that he would never voluntarily feel such pain again. And so he followed his head, not his heart.

 

Right now his trusty brain was telling him that the moment for heartfelt apologies had passed and an entirely new dilemma had arisen in front of him. His conflicting emotions surged up into his throat again, each demanding to be unleashed upon their brother. Luckily, his brain managed to take over and the scientist in him decided that in order to form a proper response to this situation, he was going to need more information. Unfortunately for him, his only source of information in this matter was his most secretive and closed off brother.

 

“You’ve got a lot of explaining to do Leonardo,” he said quietly when his brother met his gaze. For a second he saw something harden in his brother's eyes before it was swept away behind an impenetrable wall. Donatello felt a voice in his head, that sounded distinctly like his girlfriend, scolding him for retreating behind logic in order t hide from the emotions that reuniting with Leonardo had dredged up. Instead of heeding his April-conscience he stuck to his favorite defense mechanism when confronted with strong and not entirely welcome emotions: cold logic.

 

* * *

 

Leo didn’t know exactly what he had been expecting from Donnie in terms of a reaction to so many revelations at once, but he should have known that his genius brother would not accept this new information without a full explanation. It was just who Donnie was and had always been, his thirst for knowledge extending beyond his normal scientific spheres on multiple occasions. To be honest, the respective responses of his brothers towards his daughters was almost comforting in its predictability. Mikey had channeled the joy of the moment and capitalized on it with a demonstration of his own exuberant joy, while Donnie reserved his judgment until all of the facts were in. Out of the corner of his eye, Leo could see the glare April was shooting her boyfriend as well as the brief frown that Mikey directed at Donnie. His heart fluttered slightly at their support, despite how undeserving he was after deliberately leaving them and keeping countless secrets.

 

**_They won’t understand_** his sinister doubts resurfaced and Leo hardened his expression in response, tensing up his body into his most authoritative pose considering he was cradling two gurgling infants. He searched for some way to deflect his brother’s demand for information and found it in the absence of his immediate younger brother. While it was probably best that his reunion with Raphael was conducted separate from his other brothers, Leo had been expecting more time to plan around Raph’s explosive anger. But in order to strengthen his lie about why he was here, with two young children, out of blue, Leo decided to sacrifice the careful planning around his reunion with Raph. If he was being honest with himself there was no way to plan around Raph’s anger as the red-clad brother had always possessed the unique talent of getting under Leo’s skin and igniting an explosion between the two of them.

 

“You’re right Donatello,” Leo mimicked his brother’s use of his full name in an attempt to convey his seriousness rather than the frantic scramble for a convincing lie, “But I think that Raphael should be included in this discussion as well. Howabout we go find him and I treat you all to dinner?” He half-smirked when the mere mention of food made Mikey’s stomach rumble loudly, reminding him of the all-encompassing hunger he had been feeling before the whirlwind that was their reunion/apology.

 

“Great idea bro! But I’m like five-seconds away from wasting away so maybe we should have a little snack before we go find Raphie-boy?” Mikey didn’t even have to plead with Leo as he fondly smiled and nodded his acceptance. It took a couple of seconds of his patented puppy dog look before Donnie mumbled his agreement in an annoyed huff. Mikey cheered loudly and dashed to the ruined kitchen to root through April’s fridge in search of something that could temporarily sate his voracious appetite.

 

* * *

 

April mentally cursed Leo when he followed Mikey’s example and took the opportunity to escape Donnie's calculating gaze by retreating to the guest room to attend to his daughters, leaving behind a thick air of awkwardness to suffocate her with its intensity. The moment Donnie turned his attention away from the walking enigma that was Leonardo, April knew that she had to escape the inevitability of their current situation. So before Donnie could even begin to work up the courage to say something to April she found herself practically running after Leo, mumbling out an explanation that ran along the lines of helping Leo with the twins.  She felt his chocolate gaze on her back as she disappeared down the hall and her heart throbbed out a painful reminder that though she was upset with him she still loved him intensely and the thought of leaving him to sulk hurt and vindicated her at the same time. Sure she had been mad at Donnie before and had played the ‘ignore you until you earn forgiveness’ game many times with all of the boys but this was the first time it hurt to play it.

 

She shook it off and wandered into the room where Leo was changing Kameko and trying to keep Hoshiko entertained until it was her turn. He smiled gratefully at her when she scooted Hoshiko over to another changing mat and delicately began the process of changing her diaper. As she watched Leo wrestle with his most active daughter she was suddenly grateful that Hoshiko was calmly laying still under her ministrations, watching her with eerily intelligent eyes for a baby. Though she was much slower and obviously not as practiced as Leo with changing a diaper (They were both novices in the art of diaper changing), she managed to finish and dress Hoshiko in the time it took him to get a clean diaper on his wriggly little girl. As if reading Leo’s mind, April chose a warm sleep onesie for Hoshiko and rocked the calm and slightly sleepy baby as Leo followed suit with Kameko. The whole time that they had worked to settle the girls they had remained silent and it wasn’t until they were settled into their carriers and Leo stood there watching them with an unreadable look on his face that she chose to break the quiet.

 

“Leo I- I don’t really understand what just happened with the homicidal albino and the almost decapitation of my boyfriend… but I want you to know that I’ll respect your privacy… for as long as I can.” She chuckled nervously and relief flowed through her when Leo turned around and pulled her into a firm hug that was filled with a shaky kind of gratitude that let her know she had said the right thing.

 

“Thank you imouto.” He whispered into her hair before giving her one last squeeze, gathering the baby carriers and leading the way out into the living room where Mikey was shoving April’s secret stash of Poptarts into the black hole that was his mouth while regaling Donnie with some story about a cat made of ice cream that he had sculpted for a class. April let out a squawk of fury when she saw her precious Poptarts in the hands of Mikey. She snatched the box away from Mikey when he tried to offer one to Donnie whose gaze had a mischievous glint in it that reminded her of the monster that boyfriend was when it came to Poptarts. She cradled the now half-empty box to her chest and shot a glare that said ‘you know what you did’ to a petulant Donnie.

 

Without any particular prompting, they all headed out to where Donnie’s van sat on the now darkened street. They all clambered into the familiar vehicle and Leo was filled with nostalgia as he settled the baby carriers onto the worn leather of the first row of bench seats and went about trying to figure out how to secure the car seats to the car itself. It looked simple enough, insert the seatbelt through the slots and clip in like normal, but he could not have been more wrong. What felt like an eternity later they were all crowded around the baby seats arguing about how to set it up correctly. Donnie was examining the diagram like it was written in Russian (it was Japanese, which he and his brothers all spoke near fluently). April was keeping the babies occupied and occasionally inserting her opinion while Mikey kept insisting that they let him macgyver it with some ancient chewing gum he had found under a seat and one of April’s bobby pins.

 

Fed up with the overly complicated baby hardware Leo gently pushed them all aside, grabbed two seatbelts and tied them in a knot over the car seats, yanking the knot tight until he was at least marginally satisfied with his handiwork. The prospect of his confrontation with Raphael after the already tumultuous events of the day had frayed his nerves to the breaking point.

 

“There. That will have to do for now.” He huffed grumpily and ignored the raised eyebrows of his family members, “Let’s just go get Raph.”

 

They all piled into the van once more, the makeshift security of the seatbelt knot fortified by the strong grip of Leo and April on either side of the carriers. Mikey sprawled in the passenger seat and excitedly stuck half of his body out the window like a puppy going for his first car ride. Leo rolled his eyes and wished for the millionth time that he possessed the same carefree attitude as his baby brother because as the street signs past and they drove deeper into Brooklyn, the pit in Leo’s stomach only got larger and the voice in his head that had been quietly panicking since they left the apartment just got louder and louder.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, it's been FOREVER since I updated. This chapter fought me tooth and nail but I refuse to give up on this story. I have so much planned, so many playlists for inspiration. 
> 
> Anyways, shit is about to get REAL with Raph adding to the mix. Who's ready for some action?!?! 
> 
> Stay tuned and I'll try to be more regular with my updates. Thanks for sticking with me!!


	7. Fight Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am suuuuper ashamed of how long it took me to crank this baby out, I hope the next one isn't as grueling as this labor of love. You guys can thank EchKazul for shaming me with their amazing works and Imagine Dragons for pumping me the hell up! Enjoy the angst.

The car ride to Brooklyn was both pleasant and excruciating for Leonardo as his heart warred with his mind. His heart was warmed by the comforting familiarity of Donnie and Mikey bickering over the radio selection until April firmly changed it to her favorite alternative rock station and dared them to change it with a glare that only she could pull off. It reminded him of their past, when life had seemed so much simpler. Paired with the sweet sensation of Hoshiko’s onesie-clad stomach under his hand as he soothingly rubbed her tummy. The motion of the van had immediately soothed Kameko to sleep, but the usually easy-going Hoshiko seemed more anxious than ever and was fussily clinging to him. His heart was awash with the sense of family and unconditional love that made him want to live in this moment forever. However, the part of him that had always lived in anticipation of the future, his mind, reminded him that the most explosive of his brothers had yet to join their little impromptu gathering. He knew from what April told him of the pizza shop incident that Raph was still angry. About what he wasn’t entirely sure because every time Leo tried to narrow down the list of possible reasons it always seemed to get longer.

 

Leo was pulled from his internal struggle when the van suddenly came to a stop in front of a modest-looking building that loomed over him more than should be possible for a simple garage. But Leo refused to be intimidated by a building and steeled himself to make a plan of attack…to see his brother.

 

“April?” Leo’s voice seemed to echo through the whole van and he realized at that moment that he hadn’t spoken since they had begun their little journey. A ruddy blush heated his cheeks at the sudden attention from his brothers and April but he pushed forward with his plan

 

“Would you mind staying here with the girls? I don’t want to wake them up now that they're settled again.” April’s soft smile gave him his answer before she did and the father in him relaxed a little bit in relief that April would be there to watch over his girls. It went unspoken that he preferred them to not be exposed to Raph until he was certain that all explosions of anger had been exhausted.

 

“Sure thing Leo.” April reached over and carefully adjusted Hoshiko’s grip from Leo’s finger to her own, effectively freeing him to slip out of the van with his brothers. Instead, Leo felt slightly adrift without the anchor of his daughter’s tiny hand. He was in uncharted, potentially dangerous waters and a large part of him already wanted to flee. But he had hidden for too long from his family and Leo forced himself away from his daughters and into the settling dusk.

 

The three brothers made an odd trio as the weaved through various cars in different states of disrepair towards the entrance to the shop. Once they reached the entrance, Donnie fished a spare key out of his pocket and unlocked the door. Despite the affirming click that signaled that the door was unlocked, it refused to budge. Donnie frowned and shoved at the door with more force, effectively opening it just a crack. With a muttered curse he threw more and more of his weight at the stubborn object while Leo nad Mikey traded shrugs of acceptance. Already this was seeming like a perfect home for Raphael, even the building itself was stubborn and fought to let you in. As Leo was musing on the irony of the situation the door suddenly gave and sent Donnie stumbling head over heels into a hallway.

 

Mikey snickered and pushed past him to bound up the stairs yelling at the top of his lungs, “Raphie!"

 

Leo shook his head at Mikey’s stubborn use of Raph’s most hated childhood nickname and stepped into the hall where Donnie was dusting himself off and muttering grumpily about stuck doors and Raph’s inability to organize anything. He had collided with a haphazard stack of mail ranging from bills to coupon books to nearly millions of magazines. Leo took one look at the mess and felt a nostalgic sense of consternation wash over him. Raphael had always been messy, and it was almost like it had doubled in the two years that they had been apart. Leo's big brother senses tingled demandingly in the back of his mind as he took in every inch of the mess he forced himself to be satisfied with straightening the nearest pile of garish magazines covered in pictures of scantily clad women astride a variety of motorcycles.

 

The anal-retentive wrinkle in his forehead deepened with each step into the apartment as he moved into the living room/kitchen. He carefully avoided the low coffee table that proudly displayed a motorcycle engine caked in grease like a bachelor’s centerpiece. It was surrounded by various tools and parts with crushed beer cans and cigarettes interspersed in any free space. Leo swept his gaze across the area, continuously reminding himself that he was there to search for his brother, not to clean the dump of an apartment. He stopped cold and his skin crawled with horror when he caught sight of a haphazard pile of soggy pizza boxes stacked in what might have been the sink if anyone had ever used it as it was designed to be used. Upon further inspection, he realized that there were even more beer cans in the sink-turned-trashcan.

 

"Raphie-boy!” Mikey called from down the hall, bringing a dash of sunshine to the mortification that had taken over every cell in his body. Leo picked his way through the general clutter of the hallway, giving what was the bathroom a wide berth as soon as the indecipherable funk oozing out from behind the closed door hit his senses. He wasn’t going to be able to smell right for a month.

 

Finally, he made it to Raph’s bedroom where Mikey was wading through the closet to peer into its depths. Leo scanned through the room, the strategist in him trying to determine whether or not the destruction was just a product of housing Raphael or a violent encounter with enemies. After a few minutes examining the dresser drawers yanked from their cubbies and belongings haphazardly thrown around the space in combination with the punching bag that had burst its filling all over the floor he found himself unable to distinguish between his brother’s natural slovenly habitat and a professional ransacking.

 

"Here Raphie Raphie!” Mikey called again half-heartedly and then made eye contact with Leo as he shrugged helplessly, “Guess he’s not here bro.”

 

“Where else would Raph be on a Friday night?” Donnie asked, the disgust clear in his tone as he avoided a pile of suspiciously crusty socks. “He and Casey usually stay in and watch Roadhouse until they’re drunk enough to try out the moves on each other.”

 

Leo chuckled as he pictured the comical scene, sharing a smile with Donnie as his brainy brother rolled his eyes. For a moment, the calculating hardness in Donnie’s eyes softened at the familiarity of the shared moment with Leo. That vulnerability warmed Leo’s heart in the millisecond that it was exposed, but as soon as Donnie realized what was happening he turned away and closed himself off, effectively ending the painfully familiar connection and reminding both of them of the two-year chasm that separated them. Leo quickly turned away as well, fighting off the wave of pain that beat against his carefully constructed mental barriers. Instead, he focused on searching Raph’s room for a clue as to where he might be.

 

After a second of uncomfortable silence in which Mikey noticed the tension between his brothers and wished futilely for the millionth time that those two years and the events leading up to their schism could be erased from the fabric of the universe, Leo zeroed in on a stained biker babe calendar pinned to Raph’s wall across from the hammock he called a bed. Leo picked his way through the laundry and random objects that littered the floor until he was in front of it. The calendar was marred by the harsh scribble that was Raph’s handwriting, mostly details for clients or when a specific hockey or basketball game aired on TV, but the current date was circled in red Sharpie with the letters ‘FN’ taking up the entire square.

 

It took half a second for the significance of those letters hit Leo like a speeding dump truck to the face.

 

Fight Night.

 

He sighed heavily and wondered silently if the universe was intent on digging up every part of his past that he had either forgotten or tried to forget. Was it too much to ask to remain in the protective bubble that he had established around himself? But then again, Master Splinter had always said that making peace with the past revealed the path to the future. Of course, that didn't mean that he was going to surrender himself to the healing pain of revealing his secrets. It just wasn’t in his DNA. The universe was going to have to yank every secret from his stubborn heart while he fought kicking and screaming the whole way.

 

Stiffly, Leo turned around and nodded for his younger brothers to follow him as he abandoned all care in his mission to make his way out of Raph’s apartment and back to the van. Despite their apparent confusion his brothers reflexively obeyed and trailed behind him through the apartment, practically jogging to keep up with his purposeful stride.

 

“Yo Leo!” Mikey called as he put on a burst of speed to slide in front of his oldest brother just as they reached the top of the entryway stairs., “What happened? Where are we goin’?”

 

“I know where Raph is.” was Leo’s only response as he slipped past Mikey as if he wasn’t even there. Donnie caught up as Leo thundered down the stairs. He gave Mikey a confused look, barely hoping that his goofy brother might have some morsel of an explanation. All he received was an encouraging smirk before Mikey hopped onto the banister and slid down it like an overeager eight-year-old boy left home alone. Donnie sighed at his eternal exasperation and followed more gracefully but just as quickly. With the way that Leo was moving, he was half-afraid that their older brother might leave them behind if they dawdled.

 

Donnie’s usually graceful fingers fumbled with the keys in his haste to lock the door before his bouncing baby brother and enigma of an older brother left without him. He finally shoved the key into the lock, secured Raph’s apartment and jogged across the parking lot where Mikey was hanging out of the van door waving to him while Leo sat in the driver’s seat with a face set in pure determination. It was a face that Donnie had seen many times over the years and he shuddered in sympathy for Raphael. It was extremely dangerous to be the cause of that look. Donnie had barely hopped into the back seat with April before Leo revved the engine and the van lurched away from the empty shop at a speed that bordered on aggressive. As they navigated the streets of Brooklyn towards the waterfront, their speed tapered off to a range closer to slightly urgent, as if Leo suddenly reminded himself that he was carrying precious cargo.

 

The closer they got to the waterfront, the harder Leo’s heart beat in his chest. He gritted his teeth in frustration and tightened his grip on the worn leather of the steering wheel in an attempt to draw the mounting tension from his body but it hung in the air like a malicious specter, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Not even the gentle hum of the radio could cut through the sheer thickness of the air as Leo kept his eyes glued to the barely familiar roads and his hands gripped the wheel so hard that they were beginning to turn white from lack of blood flow. His family remained silent as well, any attempt at conversation immediately suffocated by that hovering tension. Instead, they exchanged concerned looks and questioning glances as they tried to puzzle out exactly what was happening. It wasn’t until they made the final turn into the lot where the abandoned Red Hook Grain Terminal towered ominously in the darkness of night that Leo finally spoke.

 

“I need to go and get Raphael. It’s too dangerous for you to come with me. You guys will stay here with-“ Mikey interrupted him before he could finish his instructions, his round face pulled into a stubborn pout as he faced down the electric blue irises of his eldest brother, trying desperately to equal his determination.

 

“No way bro! We stick together! If it’s dangerous then you need us to like back you up and stuff…” He trailed off as Leo parked the van and shut off the lights before turning to appraise his younger brothers. Considering how he had behaved since they had gotten in the van, Mikey and Donnie's hackles were up and they were ready to fend off the danger that Leo very obviously anticipated. What they weren’t expecting was the softening of his blue eyes and the small smile that practically exuded pride. It was the same look that he had given them over the years each time one of them displayed some improvement in their ninja skills or even their individual interests. It was the smile of a proud big brother as he watched his siblings grow and change into the men they were destined to be. It sent warm chills through Donnie and Mikey if such a thing was possible.

 

“Thank you both, but I have something more important I must ask of you all. I need you to stay here-“

 

“But Leo-!” Donnie protested this time but cut himself off when Leo held up his hand in demand for silence.

 

“I need you to stay here and protect my daughters…our family.” He gestured down to the baby carriers where Hoshiko was curled into an adorable ball, sniffling quietly as she slept and Kameko was sprawled out limply, her mouth parted just slightly where the fingers she had been sucking on had fallen from her mouth. Just like that the tension lingering in the van disappeared as the babies worked their magic. A new understanding dawned on Mikey and Donnie as they watched their nieces sleeping peacefully in contrast to the darkness and decay that awaited outside. The night was laced with a familiar sinister presence that the brothers had learned to recognize as vigilantes. This place was dangerous and the two innocents between them were in danger just by being near the eerie ruins. Though it was hard to reconcile themselves with sending Leo in alone, both brothers knew just how important their task was as well. Simultaneously, they nodded wordlessly to Leo, his relief nearly palpable.

 

Satisfied that his brothers would stay put Leo turned to April who was watching their interaction with a mix of trepidation and relief. The adorable happiness of the sleeping babies was a boon to their tense souls, each one stretched to the brink and liable to explode into a messy pile of emotions. However, her training under Splinter had been incomplete at his death, and with no one to take over after Leo had left, April’s skills as a kunoichi had to lay dormant. She wasn’t sure if she was up to par with defending the van alongside Donnie and Mikey. However, Leo had a different task for her as his electric blue gaze locked with her own emerald eyes. Wordlessly he slipped the keys into her hands, willing her with his gaze to understand his intent.

 

April’s heart sunk to her feet as she immediately recognized the silent request for what it was. If for any reason Leo did not return or they got into trouble she was in charge of making sure they got away safe. April felt trepidation well up in her but she swallowed it down, opting to squeeze those precious keys so hard that the metal of the key itself dug painfully into her pale skin. Shakily, she nodded her acceptance of her task and Leo gave her a comforting smile. Or at least it would have been comforting if he wasn’t stepping out into the night towards certain peril in a debilitated grain terminal.

 

The minute Leo stepped out of the van the cold of the night sunk into his bones and he felt the overwhelming urge to get back in the van and drive away. But Raphael was in that abandoned building, no doubt reliving the glory days at his peril. As Leo traversed the abandoned parking lot towards the burly outline of the door guard he was bombarded by memories of a time when he was young and eager to prove himself.

 

_10 years ago..._

 

_‘Master Splinter is gonna kill me’_

 

_This mantra of despair had spiraled through Leo’s head on repeat since the moment he and Raphael had clumsily slipped out of their bedroom window and into the night. For some reason Leo found himself reluctantly following his younger brother over the rooftops of Brooklyn towards some unknown destination, his stomach sinking lower and lower with each step. He found himself wondering why he had even agreed to this in the first place as they moved away from familiar neighborhoods and into the rougher areas surrounding the docks. Leo told himself that he had only agreed because Raph had promised him that their little excursion would provide them with a practical outlet for their ninja skills, but deep down he knew that he was as hungry for some action as his hotheaded brother was. He and his younger brother had been silently itching for some actual combat for a while now, but Master Splinter was adamant that their younger brothers were not ready for combat outside of the controlled environment of the dojo. While Leo tended to agree with his master, this particular decision meant that he and Raphael were also benched until their younger brothers caught up. It wasn’t necessarily Donnie and Mikey’s fault that they were behind, they were a couple of years younger than them after all, but it was endlessly frustrating to hear about the crime wave on the news and have to sit at home when there were people who needed help. On top of that, Master Splinter refused to let the older boys patrol alone, claiming that they were stronger a team._

 

_The logical, responsible part of Leo agreed with him wholeheartedly. The protective part of him hinted that even Raphael was too young to be patrolling, but the hothead was impossible to deter. But, the buried part of the uptight fearless leader, the part of him that he saw in his peers and worked to repress in himself, relished in the youthful rebellion of sneaking out at night to do something that was absolutely forbidden. Leo had let himself succumb to that part of himself tonight, but his responsibilities still echoed in his head like a persistent reminder that a leader did not disobey his sensei for the sake of a little fun._

 

_Just when he was beginning to regret leaving and half-formed an excuse to convince Raph to go back home with him Raph looked back at him with brown eyes that practically glittered with happiness. It struck Leo at that moment that he hadn’t seen his brother that excited since the day he had received his sais from Master Splinter and before that when he had mastered his first kata alongside Leo. He had been so young then and it was refreshing to see the surly teenager so bright with excitement again. His plan died instantly and he resolved to do whatever Raph wanted as long as it wasn’t life-threatening. Moments later, Raph stopped at the edge of a building overlooking what looked like a fairly normal park. The rebellious part of Leo was a little disappointed at the sheer normalcy of the area, but mostly he was relieved that they weren’t going somewhere creepy or inherently dangerous. He looked over at Raph but his younger brother must have seen the relief in his eyes and just shook his head with a triumphant smirk and pointed past the park where a dark dilapidated structure sat waiting for them. Leo’s stomach sunk so far that he was pretty sure it was on the street below him._

 

_“Cmon Fearless.” Raph laughed at his crestfallen expression and leaped off the building into the park where he began sprinting through the overgrown grass towards the building._

 

_‘Master Splinter is so gonna kill me’ Leo lamented as he dropped down from the building and took off towards the dark monstrosity._

 

Leo shook off the odd nostalgia of the memories as he approached the makeshift entrance to the building, his footsteps purposefully echoing off the aged concrete to announce his presence to the guard he knew was waiting in the shadows. Sure enough, a familiar beefy man with gruesome tattoos snaking around his arms and up to his neck towards his the hostile snarl smeared over his scruff face stepped out from his post and stood between Leo and the entrance to the decrepit building. This close he could hear the muffled cheering of the crowd deep within.

 

“Yo buddy where you think you’re goin?” His voice echoed through the empty concrete yard and Leo winced at its roughness. Even after ten years the guy still sounded like he had been gargling rocks right before he spoke. Heart pounding with anticipation and a familiar sense of rebellion, Leo searched his memory for the ridiculous passphrase that they had used all those years ago. He saw the guard reaching behind his back for the pistol that was undoubtedly stuck in the waist of his pants, and felt his hands twitch for the swords that were most definitely not strapped to his back as they should be.

 

“I’m looking for Tyler. You seen him?” He blurted out the passphrase so fast it was a miracle that the guard understood him. The guard arched his eyebrow and relaxed his stance slightly as he looked Leo up and down appraisingly as if he couldn’t quite believe what he was looking at.

 

“He’s at Marla’s place.” The guard said with a chuckle and fully relaxed against the thick cement column he had emerged from. Leo approached the entrance cautiously, still wary of the building and the people inside it even after ten years.

 

 The guard just nodded in his direction and turned his attention back to the empty lot and the quiet lapping of the upper bay waters against the old dock. Leo took that as an acceptance of his obviously outdated passphrase and ducked inside.

 

As soon as he entered the building the jeering and general noise of the crowd increased tenfold and his ears pounded faintly from the sudden onslaught of noise. The edges of the crowd were mostly populated by newbies to the scene and couples whose romance was fueled by the violence in the center of the ring. Leo shook his head and pushed his way into the crowd, craning his head for a chance to glimpse the makeshift ring around the roiling bodies of drunken spectators and screaming betters. The air was suddenly thick with the sour scent of sweat mixed with the metallic tang of blood.

 

It made Leo’s stomach roll in a way that was strangely nostalgic. He had always hated the atmosphere of these fight clubs while Raph had practically lived off of the energy. It made too much sense that Raph would continue coming back here even after Leo had gone. He continued to push through the sea of bodies, trying desperately not to think about the excess of body fluids of all kinds rubbing up against him. His skin was starting to itch at the barest thought.

 

Suddenly the crowd rolled with renewed vigor as a familiar battle cry echoed through the air and was quickly followed by the unmistakable sounds of fist meeting flesh. The crowd’s movement propelled Leo to the front and he was suddenly thrown against the metal railing surrounding the edge of the arena.

 

The arena was actually a hole that had been blown in the floor through to the one below it. The edges had been lined with metal railings for safety but at this event, they served more as a way to keep interlopers away from the fight. After all, a fight club’s greatest asset was its fighters and the bets placed upon them. Nothing could be allowed to impact either of those things.

 

The cold metal dug into Leo’s stomach as the crowd pressed in behind him, everyone trying to lean down and get a look at the fight below. Raphael’s bulky form was trading punches with n equally bulky man who was swaying dangerously on his feet.

 

The tactician in Leo had already telegraphed his younger brother’s next moves as he dodged a sloppy punch and followed it up with a jab to the man’s gut and a spin kick to his head. Raph’s opponent stumbled backward precariously and Leo’s icy gaze narrowed slightly as he watched Raphael turn to the crowd and egg them on with a showy flex of his muscles. The crowd ate it up like they were starving, the yells of encouragement for Big Red increasing.

 

Leo had to hold in his eyeroll with every ounce of his being at the cockiness practically oozing from Raph. His brother had always loved the show of the fight club, almost as much as the combat. Leo sighed in disappointment as Raph failed to notice his opponent taking advantage of the distraction of the crowd to rush Raph from behind and slam him face-first into a concrete slab.

 

The exhausted man stumbled away as Raph stiffened in fury and turned around to glare down at the man with pure fire in his eyes and rivulets of red blood dripping down from his nose. Leo heaved another sigh as Raph let out another war cry and rushed the man with the intent to end the fight once and for all. And end the fight he did with a barrage of powerful hits to the man’s face and another spin kick to follow them up.

 

The man’s body hit the padded floor with a wet slap, blood pouring from his obviously broken nose and gaping mouth. Raph immediately planted his foot on the man’s chest and roared once more for the crowd, practically sending them into a frenzy.

 

His gaze slowly swept over the crowd, obviously savoring his win and Leo stiffened up as he swept over his section and froze the moment he saw Leo. Raph’s triumphant grin immediately fell from his face the moment his amber gaze met the electric blue of his eldest brother. Leo reflexively stiffened up and crossed his arms over his chest partially to protect the fragile heart within and partially to express his disappointment in his brother’s actions. He could almost hear Raph’s derisive snort over the din but he maintained a steady cold gaze, wiping all emotion from his face as a million different feelings rushed to ram the careful barriers that he hid them behind. The scar that wrapped around his face from his hairline down to his cheek and across to his ear tingled painfully in recognition and he fought his reflex to rub the irritated skin.

 

Raph’s angry gaze looked him up and down for a second before the fury of the fight flared up again, only this time it was directed at Leo. Raph’s glare practically dared Leo to jump down into the arena and settle things but Leo was in Leader Mode and he tilted his chin up in disappointed distaste at the challenge. The fire in Raph’s eyes flared before being tempered by something else the Leo didn’t recognize, something that made him feel uncomfortably vulnerable. He tightened his arms over his chest and breathed a deep sigh of relief when the official picked his way over the unconscious challenger and declared Raph the winner, effectively turning his attention at least partly away from Leo.

 

Leo refused to admit to himself how the anger in his brother’s eyes simultaneously hurt and scared him behind his iron curtain of Leader Mode. It was in that tense few seconds where he saw his brother for the first time since their father’s funeral that Leo realized just how deeply the ones that he loved the most could hurt him.


	8. Scars Bleed Blue and Red

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little Raph POV for yall. I'm not fantastic at writing from Raph's POV but what are ya gonna do? Anyway, on with the show!

Fuck.

 

Raph turned his head slightly and spat out a combination of spit and blood that had been steadily filling his mouth during the last fight. The bitter, metallic taste lingered on his tongue as he ran it over his teeth, reflexively making sure that they were all still in place. His eyes never left the form of his brother as Leo watched him from the makeshift balcony. Raph snorted at the irony of his haughty older brother literally looking down at him in disapproval. A familiar feeling of angry defiance welled up in his gut the longer he stared back at Leo. This was a familiar song and dance for both of them, circling each other like two rabid wolves waiting for the other to strike first blood. The residual bloodlust from his fight rushed through his veins as it raced to his heart and quickly overwhelmed the logical part of his brain that he had been trying to nurture in the two years his brother had been away. Raph raised his chin defiantly up at Leo, the inferno in his eyes practically daring his older brother to join him in the ring and ‘work out’ the tension that clogged the vast space between them. Before either one of them could make a move, someone from the crowd shifted slightly and the bright construction lights that washed the makeshift arena in a contrast of blinding spotlights and deep shadows suddenly illuminated Leo’s pale face. 

 

Raph found his eyes glued to the long scar that spanned the left side of his face from his forehead to curve around his cheek. The scar had healed nicely so that it was nothing but a delicate line of shiny scar tissue but it was enough to douse the flame of Raph’s anger in cold water that turned to ice in his veins. Raph couldn’t tear his eyes away from the scar, a stark reminder of their family’s...his darkest moment memorialized on his brother’s face. Bile rose up in his throat and the roar of the crowd faded into a dull murmur as his brain assaulted him with images from that day.

 

_Anger. Grief._

 

_Screaming from both him and Leo as the wolves went for the throat for the millionth time._

 

_But this time there was a flash of thin steel._

 

_A scream of pain._

 

_Vibrant red blood mixing with the shocked blue gaze._

 

_Foreign tears salting the wound on his brother’s face._

 

_His fault._

 

Raph stumbled backward slightly as he forced himself out of his own memories, the roar of the crowd chanting his name suddenly rushing to overwhelm him like a tidal wave. He let himself be moved by the raw energy of the room and he raised his bloody, wrapped fists in the air and let out a roar that was more cathartic than it was victorious. But there was no difference to the crowd that was practically foaming at the mouth for another dose of his brand of violence. Raph’s head swam and he spun around slowly in an attempt to gain some relief from the sharp stab of Leo’s gaze on his conscience. He found no relief in the faceless beast of the crowd, and by the time he got back to the spot where his brother had been standing, Leo had disappeared.

 

Raph took a second to rationalize with himself that he hadn’t been hit in the head hard enough to hallucinate his brother. He knew Leo was in New York, April had told him that much. It wasn’t that far of a stretch to think that Leo had tracked him down to a piece of the past that only the two of them shared. Simultaneously comforted and disturbed by the fact that he was in the same city, let alone building as his wayward older brother, Raph stepped off of the mat.

 

Right into the path of Darius “The Eye” Dun.

 

Dun was built like a lumberjack with a wide barrel chest and hair covering his body. He was dressed casually in a maroon dress shirt complete with suspenders and simple slacks. His sleeves were rolled up as if in preparation to get down and dirty. His signature monocle was nestled perfectly in front of his right eye and only served to magnify his cold, almost bored gaze as he looked Raph up and down. He stroked his neatly trimmed beard and mustache combo then let out a gravelly chuckle that grated on Raph’s nerves and shook him down to his bones. The man radiated such evil that he could make something as simple as a chuckle strike fear into the heart of someone like Raph.

 

Raph held his breath and stepped back minutely as Dun gave him an appraising once over, gently adjusting his monocle as if it told him a story that bare eyes could not see. Raph’s insides squirmed uncomfortably but he forced himself to stay still and not reveal just how vulnerable the ruthless mobster made him feel. Suddenly the tension was broken when Darius clapped his massive hands together, effectively startling everyone around him, including his useless entourage of lackeys.

 

“HA! That was some fight Raphael.” His voice boomed naturally, echoing off the concrete and into the darkness of the site, “But… I think you look like you have one more fight in you. And I’d hate to deprive my paying customers their money’s worth. After all, their generous donations go towards your debt.” 

 

Raph scowled at the reminder of his inescapable connection to the dangerous mobster. A series of stupid mistakes that haunted him to this day had led him to this point and kept him trapped under the thumb of one Darius Dun. Not for the first or the last time, Raphael cursed the stupid pride of his inexperience.

 

“Listen Darius-“ He tried, but one of the gun-toting lackeys that followed Dun like a lost puppy chose that moment to try and prove his loyalty.

 

“That’s Mister Dun to you, you stupid wetback!” The young monster spat and Raph’s face went a violent red at the deliberate use of a racial slur. His cooled temper flared past 100% but before he could open his mouth to retaliate, Dun stepped forward and grabbed one of the boy’s skinny arms. With barely any effort his snapped the boy’s arm behind his back at a perilous angle that threatened a very painful dislocation.

 

“Now now Tommy. Show our fighter some respect.” Dun tsked like he was a disapproving mother rather than a mob boss that could tear the boy limb from limb, “After all, The Red Devil here has been fighting in this club for longer than you have been with the organization.”

 

The cold calm sent chills up Raph’s spine but he assumed a familiar bored pose as he surveyed the precarious situation he was in. He could only hope that Dun wouldn’t see through his bravado to the fear that lay underneath.

 

“S-sorry Mr. Dun.” Tommy stuttered out.

 

After a few moments, Dun let out a weary sigh and loosened his hold as if he was going to let the boy go. Tommy breathed out a sigh of relief but everyone else in the room knew better than to think that the danger had passed. The danger never passed when Dun was involved. In a flash of movement, Dun yanked the boy’s arm up and out of his socket. Tommy’s screams mixed with a gut-wrenching crunch into a sickening cocktail that made bile rise up in the throat of all the spectators. Raph quickly tore his gaze away from the unfortunate lackey and centered it once more on Dun who was shaking his head in disappointment.

 

“I think he’s learned his lesson.” Dun seemed to say to himself before snapping at a cloaked man who had been diligently waiting at his side, “Mr. Jammer. Take care of this mess would you?”

 

“Of course boss.” Jammer’s voice was tinny and muffled but Raph didn’t get the chance to glimpse his face as Jammer threw a sniffling Tommy over his shoulder and disappeared from the small circle of light around the arena.

 

“Now that we’ve taken care of that I assume that you’ll be proceeding with your encore?” Dun asked almost cheerily and Raph grunted in a way that indicated that he knew he had no choice in the matter.

 

“Excellent. Regrettably, I have a very important meeting to attend, so I won’t be here to see the show, but I’ll have my associate Maze record this lovely double feature for me.” Dun gestured to a slim, masked woman who brandished a small video camera at Raphael.

 

Raph just snorted and turned back to the arena, grumbling under his breath to himself as he ignored Dun’s fading chuckles and mentally prepared himself for his next fight. The minute he stepped into the ring again the crowd began to buzz with excitement as they recognized that they were getting a second fight that night. Rarely did Dun overwork a fighter like this. It was bad business to put your money on damaged goods after all and Darius Dun was nothing if not a businessman.

 

Raph squinted into the shadows on the other side of the arena, bouncing around a little as he waited for his next opponent to step out of the shadows. Part of him wanted to knock out his opponent as quickly as possible so that he could get whatever drama Leo had brewing done and over with. The more childish, spiteful part of him insisted that he play wit his food before he ate it, make Leo stew and wait like he had forced Raph to do for every day that Leo was hiding in New York. After his encounter with Dun, Raph was leaning more towards the spiteful plan. Bonus points being that it would double as a good release of pent up tension that bounced around on his nerves after being that close to the mobster. His pride would never let him admit that Dun scared him, but he had enough sense to be wary of the unpredictable power that was Darius Dun.

 

Raph was pulled from his thoughts as a bulky black man with a vibrant purple frohawk and techno glasses of the same shade strode onto the fighting platform. He was wearing tattered biker clothes that clashed oddly with the accents of his head but he didn’t seem to be aware of his own fashion faux pas. He spit out a gob of chew that he had been nursing and quieted the crowd with his booming voice.

 

“My name is Be-Bop!” He announced, paying specific emphasis on the individual syllables of his name. Bebop paused dramatically and Raph crossed his arms over his chest and practically exuded a surly lack of amusement at Bebop’s campy actions. Suddenly a second figure burst onto the scene, practically running into Bebop as he yelled animalistically at the crowd. He had greasy ginger hair and mutton chops that grew out of control on his dull face. He was dressed similarly to his companion in black leather and spikes.

 

“And this is Rocksteady.” Bebop gestured to his companion and the crowd roared in a combination of cheers and booing that was customary for new competitors.

 

“I know that’s a crazy name right? But his ancestors are from Finland.” Raph blinked in confusion at the odd segway from the introductions but quickly continued sizing up his opponents. They were both large men with a healthy combination of fat and muscle that would make them solid enough competitors on their own. 

 

“Yeah, that’s right, I’m Finnish!” Rocksteady chimed in to the crowd and paused another William Shatner beat before roaring out with an almost childlike glee “‘Cause when I start a beatdown, I always FINNISH it!”

 

Raph rolled his eyes and wondered for what was sure to be the first of many times how he had gotten stuck with these two idiots in the ring.

 

“My man!” Bebop crowed happily and the dynamic duo shared an elaborate handshake as the crowd cheered at their cheesy antics.

 

“My man!” Rocksteady screamed back and then both men turned their gaze to Raph, who finally saw the animalistic violence caged behind the guise of stupidity and childishness. These two were fighting as a team and had obviously down so before. His odds of winning had just taken a deep dive. To top it all off, Raph caught a glimpse of electric blue off to the side and caught a quick glimpse of Leo waiting on the edge of the platform.

 

“Fuck me.” Raph murmured to himself as he tried to put his brother out of his mind and focus on beating dumb and dumber. He was really starting to think that he was cursed with a double feature of bad luck.

 

The ding of the starting bell rang out and Raph lunged forward with a yell born out of frustration and pent up fury, his scream blending in with those of the crowd.


End file.
